los angeles

I visited the Getty Museum today and was thoroughly awed. It is one of the most stunning, well-designed amalgamations of architecture, landscaping, and art that I have seen in my life so far. I had a vague idea of what to expect, but I'm glad it was partly a surprise. I didn't know that you take a tram up the winding hills to reach the Center, perched above the city of LA, and that you then wander freely through open plazas and gardens, in & out of the warm-beige stone structures (travertine, brought in from Italy) looking at art, trotting up & down exterior & interior steps to take in views of everything below. I loved the fluidity between the indoor and outdoor spaces. 

There was a beautiful special exhibition of Klimt drawings, some finished works but mostly studies for paintings or friezes/murals, and several photography shows, including L.A. Style, Herb Ritts' gorgeous fashion/art photographs. All these sensuous nudes within, and sensuous architecture beyond the glass. In the permanent collection, I found van Gogh's irises and works by Monet & Degas that I had never seen in person-- even if similar to paintings at the Met, these were new to my eyes. Of course I admit I am always excited to look at art in museums in different places. The other day we went to the Huntington Library with its art collections & gardens in Pasadena, where I found a Hopper seascape and a huge orange canvas by Frankenthaler. There was also an exhibition called Beautiful Science: Ideas That Changed The World, not just a cool air-conditioned escape from the sunny grounds, but a fascinating overview of science's greatest achievements in the fields of astronomy, natural history, medicine, and light. In between these outings, I snoozed on the beach, ate sumptuous dinners in Santa Monica and Malibu with various interesting friends of my traveling companion, and managed to connect with an old friend of mine from SVA who lives here and whom I hadn't seen in a long time. The only stars I've seen have been the ones in the sky, but I haven't really been in the high-glitz areas of LA... and that's all right with me.

Gardens at the Getty Center

 

Calder's Jousters

Klimt's ink drawing Fish Blood

van Gogh's Irises