J. Paul Getty Museum Villa Renovation

Art and architecture seamlessly stand the test of time at the re-envisioned Getty Villa.

Working with Getty Museum Director Timothy Potts and curatorial, installation, lighting, and education staff, FF&P created and redefined spaces that respect the civic realm and landscape of the Villa’s historic exhibits
The Villa underwent this most recent renovation in response to the desire to organize the collections in chronological “historic” order rather than thematic order. In doing so, approximately 3,000 square feet of underutilized space was uncovered for exhibition galleries, allowing the team to find new homes for the Villa’s collection. Furthermore, art pieces previously kept in storage were brought out to breathe new life into the Villa’s exhibition galleries.
A major highlight of the re-installation is a newly renovated gallery on the first floor dedicated to the age of Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic world (336-30 BC). The centerpiece of this installation is The Victorious Youth (“Getty Bronze”), which can now be better appreciated for the masterpiece it is in the context of other objects of the same period and style, including a marble Head of Alexander the Great, The Lansdowne Herakles in the Temple of Herakles, and groups of gold jewelry and luxurious silver vessels.
In addition to the challenge of maintaining operations during the construction process, FF&P coordinated the effort of upgrading the museum’s mechanical and lighting systems. Careful consideration and respect to the architecture helped to drive the redesign with little noticeable aesthetic intervention – a new mechanical system was carefully integrated into the east garden landscape. In the end, what was left of the museum was a seamless integration of technology, art, and architecture.
At the Villa, substance most undoubtedly reigns over show; a neutral color
palette of navy and grey is used as the backdrop, allowing the art pieces to stand
front and center.