Jean Paul Getty is a tycoon and the first person in history to earn a billion dollars. He has invested a lot of money in various ventures, including the Getty Center and a villa in Malibu. It houses one of the most impressive collections of art in Europe.

The J. Paul Getty Museum began as the private collection of an oil magnate and for many years was housed in a Roman-style villa in Malibu that is now the Getty Villa. Today's Getty Museum occupies 750 acres of land in the foothills of Santa Monica Mountain.

The Getty Center includes such a large collection of art that it takes five separate buildings, organized chronologically, to display it. In each building, the basement is devoted to sculptures and decorative arts, while paintings are located at the top.

The Getty Museum in Los Angeles exhibits mostly pre-twentieth-century art from artists such as Rembrandt and Van Gogh. Also on display is the impressive collection of antiquities on display at the Getty Villa in Malibu. The most famous exhibit at the Getty Museum is Van Gogh's Irises, which the museum acquired in 1990.

Each gallery has computer-controlled ceiling shutters that limit the amount of natural light that enters the gallery. In combination with a system of cold and warm artificial lighting, the system makes it easier to view paintings in the same natural light in which they were painted.

Why should you visit here?

The Paul Getty Museum aims to inspire curiosity and bring pleasure to the fine arts. It absorbs and preserves works of art of outstanding quality and historical significance.

All of these activities are underpinned by the unique architectural and garden setting provided by the museum's two iconic sites: the Getty Villa and the Getty Center.

The museum houses European paintings, drawings, sculptures, illustrated manuscripts, arts and crafts, and photography from its inception to the present, collected from around the world.

As a museum and educational center dedicated to the study of the art and culture of ancient Greece, Rome and Etruria, the Getty Villa serves a diverse audience through exhibitions. The villa contains about 44,000 works of art from an extensive collection of ancient Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities.

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What is included in the tour of the Paul Getty Villa

Discover the museum's collection of antiquities and the architecture and gardens of the Getty Villa with the many interesting talks and tours offered throughout the day.

Lectures and tours are free and meet at the tour venue opposite the Museum Store.

• Architectural tour. Explore the architecture of the Getty Villa and learn more about daily life in the ancient world on this 40-minute tour.
• Garden and culinary tour. Discover the rich mythological and cultural connections of the ancient gardens on this 40-minute tour of the Getty Villa's four Roman gardens. Here, enjoy a 30-minute garden tour where you will get to know the plants, herbs and fruits that were used for cooking in antiquity.
• Main and exhibition tour. This 50-minute tour provides an overview of the major works in the museum's collection. Registration starts 15 minutes before the meeting point. On the exhibition tour, you will explore the current exhibition on this 30-minute tour.
• Exhibition of one work. Immerse yourself in the wealth of ancient art and immerse yourself in this 20-minute gallery discussion focusing on one work that was recently installed as part of the museum's recent renovation.
• Observant Eye. This 50-minute tour details special topics such as mythology, death, nudity, wine, or artistic practices in the ancient Greek and Roman world.

What's included in the Getty Center tour

Discover the museum's historical collection and the architecture and gardens of the Getty Center through a rich array of engaging talks and tours that bring the Getty Center's unique setting and visual arts to life.

• Highlights Tour Collection. This one-hour tour provides an overview of the major works in the museum's collection. Meet your guide at the information desk.
• The era of impressionism. Explore the 19th-century Getty collection of paintings by artists such as Millet, Monet, and Van Gogh on this 1-hour tour.
• Forward to baroque. Explore a rich collection of 17th-century painting and sculpture by masters such as Rubens, Rembrandt and Bernini on this 50-minute tour.
• Renaissance. This 30-minute tour introduces key examples of Renaissance art in the Getty Collection.
• French decorative arts. This 30-minute tour introduces key examples of the historic collection of luxury French furniture.

Curators and restorers present their plans for future exhibitions, announce recent acquisitions and significant objects donated to the museum.

Join a curator or conservator on a private 1-hour tour and learn about current exhibitions. It is held approximately once a month — check the calendar of events on the website of the museum and the villa.