The Getty Villa Museum at Malibu

The Getty Villa Museum conveniently sits at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades in Malibu, my favorite city in Southern California.

Modeled after the Villa dei Papiri, a Roman country house, I recently visited the museum together with Charito Aberasturi, Dominic Aguas, Joy Escano, Loren Escano and Laurence Sala. This museum, owned by J. Paul Getty, contains so many interesting art collections and influences from Greece, Rome and Etruria. This villa is home to exhibits and collections, with each item possessing a wide historic background.

J. Paul Getty, without a doubt, had reinvented himself by sharing his collections with the public for free! Set like a variety of neighborhoods, the Getty Villa Museum has many important displays such as the Sarcophagus with Scenes of Bacchus, carved from marble. This item may seem indestructible, but the slightest touch may damage it.

Others on display are the Early Cypriot Potteries decorated with figures of humans and animals, a Mould Blown Glass collection and other impressive galleries of archaeological excavations. The highlight is a room entitled The Portrait of the Dead featuring the Mummy of Herakleides. What amazes me was how anyone was able to purchase a real ancient mummy to put on display at a private museum!

As museums are a huge passion of mine, I wondered what it would be like to reside at this massive Getty Villa and understand the life that goes on behind it. The beauty of the villa makes it such an incredible landmark.

You may also want to check out the Getty Centre located at 1200 Getty Centre Drive Los Angeles, California 90049 www.getty.edu/visit