The hilltop Getty Center is the masterwork of acclaimed modernist architect Richard Meier and consists of five two-story pavilions that house the museum, research and conservation centers, and the foundation offices. The museum contains collections of European paintings and decorative arts, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, French furniture, photography, drawings by Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, and rotating exhibitions of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present. The location offers panoramic views from the mountains to the ocean and spectacular gardens designed by artist Robert Irwin. Take the tree-lined walkway that leads you through an extraordinary garden experience. The path descends to a plaza where bougainvillea arbors hold court. Water cascades over a stone wall into a pool where a maze of azaleas floats. The cafe and museum store will tempt you to linger for hours.
Open Sunday and Tuesday-Thursday 10 am-6 pm, Friday and Saturday 10 am-9 pm, closed Monday. Reservations are necessary for some special events and for large groups but not for visiting the museum and gardens. Admission is free, but parking is US$8 per car. 1200 Getty Center Drive (off the San Diego Freeway between Brentwood and Bel Air), Los Angeles. Phone 310-440-7300. http://www.getty.edu.
