Visiting The Getty Villa

Water Garden Below the Cafe

I went to the Getty Villa to check out the displays of Greek vases, particularly those with scenes of symposia (more in a latter post). The quince, lemon, plum, and pear trees were in bloom; crocus and narcissus were pushing up though the dirt. I used to go to their evening lectures here before they built the campus in Brentwood. The pittosporum would be in bloom, leaving a sweet perfume in the night air. It was nice to see the first signs of spring in the Getty garden.

Quince?

It was my first visit back in a while, so I was surprised to find that at 11:00 pm on a Saturday night I could book a reservation for the following day. Only one of the half-hour increment time slots was "sold out." Good to know that the Villa can be visited in the "spur of the moment," or with at least a few hours of planning. The don't seem to be set up to offer same-day slots.

Cycladic Harp Player

Even with all the Greek vases Italy took back (because Rome rightfully plundered them a couple thousand years ago) there are still some impressive things to see, like the modern-looking stone-age harp player.

Pear

Matched Pair of Roman Wine Cups

An amazing intact pair of Roman wine cups without much wear, dings, or missing parts.

I Haven't a Clue

Getty Bronze

Still in a room by itself, the Getty Bronze's space didn't seem to be as humid as I remembered it. I wonder if the high humidity had to do with it having been recently pulled from the ocean floor, and not wanting to stress the metal.

Plum

Leda and the Swan

I thought this was a little too fussy to be Greek, and I was right. What caught my eye was the depiction of Leda with her clothes on. Without the swan, I wouldn't have recognized her. Coming across later depictions, the story seemed to be a thinly veiled excuse to show a naked lady with a phallic-looking swan neck about her.

Reminds me of this

Malibu

Make your parking reservations for the Getty Villa in Malibu here. Map of The Getty Villa here.

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