Getting the Getty Villa

A weekend or two ago, Pants and I ventured to Malibu to visit the Getty Villa, a modern museum designed to look and feel like a Roman villa during the Pax Romana.
One queer thing is that you have to make 'an appointment' to visit the place, even though the museum is free (except parking), which makes you feel that you've been vaguely 'initiated' into another world.



Everything there was perfect. From the beautiful white buildings which were as accurate as possible in re-creating this lost era to the vast array of artifacts that pervaded every chamber. Like the Getty's sister museum in West Los Angeles, it felt quite white-man like as well. Old money funding old ideas. It's a fusty idea to begin with. The museum's locale added an extra air of authenticity. Malibu suddenly became the Mediterranean and my the ice cream in my hand suddenly became a silver cup filled with wine! Well, not really.

I was also reminded of Hearst Castle, that 'magnificent' castle two hundred miles to the North, which was also funded by a rich white man who wanted the place to feel like a time before Christ and shortly thereafter. But it was interesting, if a little strange.

I just wish those 'eyes' inside the statues followed you as you passed like they do at the Haunted House at Disneyland. As an added bonus, I added a pic of Wilford Brimley because he always spices any blog entry.