The Getty Villa, Malibu, CA

The Getty Villa sits just off Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, CA. (http://www.getty.edu/visit/) It is open 10am to 5pm everyday except Tuesdays and various holidays. It is free to visit, however you do need to get an advanced timed-entry ticket online before you go. It depends on the time of year, but I was able to get an 11am entry for a Saturday on the Friday before I visited. It definitely got more crowded and busier as the day went on, so I really recommend getting there before noon. Note that while the museum is free, parking is $15. 

Outer Peristyle, Getty Villa

This was my first visit to the Getty Villa, although I have visited the The Getty Center in the past. I started with the 12 minute film, The making of the Getty Villa, in the Museum Theater. I then browsed the museums first floor, which included antiquity pieces like The Lansdowne Herakles and Lion Attacking a Horse. The later piece, seen below, is on loan from the Capitoline Museums in Rome until May 6th.

Lion Attacking a Horse

Visiting the Villa isn't just about enjoying the art pieces, its also about admiring the architecture of the buildings and gardens themselves.

There are a few guided tours that you can enjoy. I participated in one of the architecture tours. There were also guided tours of the gardens and a collection highlights tour. Some tours require that you sign  up about 15 minutes before they begin. That does not apply to the Garden or Architecture Tours. Getting in line five minutes prior to the start time was more than sufficient for me. After the 40 minute tour, which required very little walking, I grabbed a bite to eat.

There is a museum store and cafe. The Cafe is not cheap, but I highly recommend an order of Housemade Peasent Bread ($4) and a glass of wine ($9-$10). If you are a foursquare user, a check-in at the Villa will get you 20% off at the store, just remember to show the cashier the highlighted special from your phone app.

After getting some lunch and picking up a couple of postcards from the museum store, I visited the second floor of the Villa, where the rotating exhibitions are held. At the moment, the exhibition on display is Molten Color: Glassmaking in Antiquity. They are in the process of adding a new exhibit, Sicily, but that will not be open to the public until April. Also upstairs were the installations Men in Antiquity and Women and Children in Antiquity, or as I like to call them, the rooms full of heads.

Men in Antiquity Head Collection

Women in Antiquity Head Collection

I spent about three hours at the Villa. You can take more time, or less. I definitely want to return to see any of the new rotating exhibits, as well as participate in tours that I did not get to participate in while on this visit. For you artists out there, they even have a program just for you: Drawing from Antiquity: Drawing with Gouache. Supplies are provided, and you get to draw with "gouache," an opaque watercolor used by artists since the 15th century. At least that is what the program tells me (my drawing skills do not extend past stick figures.)