The Getty Center

The Getty Center opened in 1997 to great critical acclaim. Located in the Brentwood Hills above Los Angeles, with spectacular panoramic views of the city and the ocean below, the Center comprises the J Pat Getty Museum, five separate arts and humanities institutions, and landscaped gardens and terraces on 110-acre site. The Getty Center represents a unique order of civic achievement and an intense collaboration between architect and design teams, clients and programme co-ordinators. Richard Meier has created a cultural acropolis for the twenty-first century, striking a balance between humanist, classic organization and organic forms. This double-issue Architecture in Detail volume, rich in new commissioned photography, provides a fascinating visual account of this inspiring cultural complex.