Shannon Urtnowski
Staff Writer
After 12 years of construction, the Getty Villa was finally reopened to the public in January. The Getty Villa, located on the cliffs bordering Malibu and Pacific Palisades, is a replica of a 1st century BC/AD Roman villa that was constructed by J. Paul Getty in 1974.
Machado and Silvetti Associates, a Boston-based architecture company, has given the Getty Villa a $275 million makeover. On April 6, Jorge Silvetti, a principal of the company, spoke about the changes he and his partner Rodolfo Machado made possible in a lecture entitled “The Getty Villa: Re-Imagined.”
Silvetti focused primarily on the design process he and Machado followed in bringing the Getty Villa transformations to life and the various public and educational programs that were added to give visitors a better Getty Villa experience.
The Getty Villa is a large property, Silvetti said, so the project took a great deal of planning. There were different pre-existing structures on the site that they were able to work with, including a ranch-house and the museum itself, which once housed J. Paul Getty’s complete collection of artwork.
“It contained his personal art pieces, which had everything from baroque and renaissance pieces, to French art and décor, and even photography and statues,” Silvetti said.
Getty’s collection grew over the years, though, and became too large for the museum. Consequently, he moved a majority of his works to the Getty Center in Brentwood, save the ancient artwork, and started renovations on the Getty Villa.
One of the first and major changes that Silvetti said he and Machado designed was a new entrance to the museum.
“We changed the entrance from where it was originally,” Silvetti said. “You used to park under the villa, walk to the side, and come out of the garden. This was a confusing and contradictory experience because it delayed you from seeing any works of art for a while.”
Research helped the architects solve this problem. Silvetti and Machado also did research to try to make the villa accurate to Roman times.
“We looked at Roman houses with all the elements and tried to construct a ‘typical’ Roman house,” Silvetti said.
The original construction did not have a real atrium, and Silvetti said he and Machado added this element because they believe it to be an important aspect of Roman villas that the museum was lacking.
“We opened the atrium to the sky because it is a symbolic axis between the earth and the sky that a Roman villa should have,” Silvetti said.
Silvetti said he and Machado are very pleased with their addition of a small outdoor theatre to the villa, as well.
“We thought the site should be open to the public as much as possible,” Silvetti said. “It’s a fallacy of authenticity, but we thought we should do what it good for the museum. It was a bold move that I am proud of.”
A number of other additions were made, such as a new café, bookstore, auditorium, and office complex. Visitors will also see new walls made from authentic stone and concrete, fountains, gardens, and even new exhibition cases that will better protect the classical antiquities collection the villa now houses, Silvetti said.
Visitors have been receptive to the changes.
“I think the changes are very well done,” Sonia Sorrell said, a Pepperdine professor of art and humanities. “Prior to the restoration, the Getty Villa was starting to show its age; now it looks new and fresh—much more inviting for visitors.”
Changes have been made that viewers may have even missed, she said.
“The various galleries are numbered with bronze Roman numerals inlaid into the floor at the entrance of each gallery,” Sorrell said. “Also, the lavish use of very rare and very costly marbles is something that many people may not recognize since much of it is used in the floors.”
The Getty Villa is not an exact replica of a Roman villa in certain respects, but Sorrell said that she interviewed the original architect of Getty Villa, Dr. Neurerburg, as a student, and he said the basis of the museum came from true inspiration.
“The design of the Getty Villa is loosely based on the Villa dei Papyri in Herculaneum,” Sorrell said. “Dr. Neurerburg said he tried to capture the ‘spirit’ of an authentic Roman villa, not the exact plan and details”
Silvetti and Machado made adjustments that both help the authenticity, such as the atrium, and hurt the authenticity, such as the theatre, but Silvetti said the two tried to keep the base that Neurerburg created.
The Getty Villa has undergone a number of changes, and Sorrell said she recommends that people visit it, as it is a truly unique and worth-while experience.
“Immediately after you pass the guard gate, you are carried back in time to ancient Rome,” she said. “The road upon which you drive is a replica of an ancient Roman stone road, the gardens in which you stroll are planted with plants that grew during antiquity, the pools and the fountains are based on original ancient models, and the villa that you walk through is as close as you can come to experiencing an actual Roman villa in all it’s glory.”
Scheduled tickets are required to enter the villa, so visitors should plan their Getty Villa trips in advance.
For more information, please contact Getty Villa at (310) 440-7300 or visitorservices@getty.edu.
06-12-2006
