Art!

I am often disappointed in myself for not taking further advantage of the awesome cities I have lived in; it seems sometimes that you put off going to things in close proximity simply because they're are so close- you could always do it another time. So I am very glad to have finally gotten to the Getty Center this weekend with the hubby and the in-laws.
What an awesome day! First, unlike every other museum I've been to, this one is very modern in design(it opened in 1997), so it is exceptionally easy to navigate and the flow of the place naturally guides you from room to room and exhibit to exhibit. I listened to a tour guide talk about the designer, Richard Meier, using visual clues to guide the museum-goer. He used glass walls on some exhibits to make them feel more open and accessible, and light-sensitive louvered ceilings so the paintings can be observed in natural light as God and the painters intended. All in all, lovely. The collection is not as extensive as the Met, but in a way, it's relative sparseness actually helps you fully digest what you are seeing. You are not jumping around to so many eras and regions and you get a real feel for the time and place of the artist. They had lovely Greek and Roman sculpture ( I tend to like those best) and a great variety of paintings/sketches. One of my faves is this piece by Jean-Ettiene Liotard, created with pastel crayons(!):

I liked her so much (and her little dog too) that I sprung for the fridge magnet. How bourgeois piggish of me! There is also a sketching room where you can use provided paper and easels and draw sculptures all set up for you. Gavin really enjoyed doing that.
So anway, go! It's FREE (parking is 10 bucks) and a great way to spend a day!