Getty Villa Reopens For First Time Since March 2020
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The famous Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades reopens Wednesday for the first time in more than a year.
While the villa reopens, the other Getty Museum location -- Getty Center overlooking the 405 Freeway in Brentwood –remains closed, but is expected to reopen in late May.
Among the highlights will be the Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins, which had been slated to open back in March of 2020, just days after the coronavirus pandemic forced the shutdown of all museums across Los Angeles. It runs through Aug. 16.
"The Getty Villa is one of the most unique experiences of any art museum, and we are delighted to be able to welcome visitors once again after more than a year's closure," said Timothy Potts, the director of the J. Paul Getty Museum.
Reservations, which are free, must be made in advance. Reservations as of Wednesday were already sold out through at least May 3.
"Never have we had a more enticing combination of displays for them to enjoy," Potts said. "As well as our collections of ancient Greek and Roman art, we are now able to present the most important exhibition of Mesopotamian art ever seen on the West Coast, on loan from the incomparable collections of the Musee du Louvre in Paris."
Under state guidelines, museums in Los Angeles County must limit capacity to 50%.
The Getty Villa is located along the Pacific Coast Highway overlooking the ocean.