The Getty Villa, Part 1. Or, Another Dream Come True.
The real reason I went to Los Angeles was not for The Getty Museum, but for the Getty Villa, which houses the collections from Ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria. The villa itself is a fairly accurate reconstruction of the Villa of Papyri, a partially excavated country house in Herculaneum, one the Roman towns buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79AD. Having studied Roman art, architecture, and culture in college, seeing the reconstructed villa was a dream come true, never mind the collection itself. Because of this I am going to post more pictures than you are probably interested in, but I really can’t narrow it down further.
The Getty Villa, while a faithful representation of the floorplan of the Villa of Papyri, obviously differs in that it uses the interior space to house the museum’s collections. The peristyles – or porticoes surrounding the gardens – are highly accurate however and are the dominating feature of the villa. Other architectural details and decorations that remain unexcavated and are thus unknown were recreated by using known elements from other villas in the immediate area. Most of the sculpture in the gardens at the Villa of Papyri however was found intact and replicated by commission for the Getty Villa.
Inner Peristyle garden with pool, Getty Villa, Los Angeles, California
Portico of the Outer Peristyle showing recreated wall paintings, Getty Villa, Los Angeles, California
View of the gardens from the portico of the Outer Peristyle, Getty Villa, Los Angeles, California
End of the portico that is open to the view of the Pacific, Outer Peristyle, Getty Villa, Los Angeles, California
View of the gardens and the pool in the Outer Peristyle, Getty Villa, Los Angeles, California
Looking back towards Inner Peristyle from Outer Peristyle, Getty Villa, Los Angeles, California
View of the gardens and opposite portico from across pool, Outer Peristyle, Getty Villa, Los Angeles, California
Me on porch overlooking Outer Peristyle, Getty Villa, Los Angeles, California
Inner Peristyle at dusk with lights, Getty Villa, Los Angeles, California
Outer Peristyle and gardens at dusk, Getty Villa, Los Angeles, California
Outer Peristyle and gardens at dusk, Getty Villa, Los Angeles, California
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Amazing photos! You captured this building beautifully! I haven’t been to the Getty Villa, but looks beautiful from the outside, and I’m about to look at your post of the inside 😉
Thanks, Paige! It’s such an amazing place; you should definitely go!