Getty Center, art museum complex in Brentwood, Calif., operated by the J. Paul Getty Trust. It consists of six buildings on 124 acres (50 hectares) located on a spectacular promontory overlooking Los Angeles. Designed by architect Richard Meier, the center opened in 1997. The museum houses the Getty collections of European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, and decorative arts and American and European photographs. The complex also maintains a research library and archives, which include performance and lecture facilities; conservation and art historical research institutes; and educational and computer centers. The first Getty Museum was located at J. Paul Getty's home in Malibu. The second is a Roman-style villa in Malibu that opened in 1974 and after major renovations reopened in 2006; it now exhibits the Getty's outstanding collection of classical antiquities and serves as a center for comparative archaeology and cultures.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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