The Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades will reopen to the public on Saturday, January 28, bringing to an end the protracted renovation construction that began in 1997 but was interrupted by opposition to the project. This cultural landmark returns with a new mission as an educational center and museum dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria. The renovated Villa includes new galleries, which feature steel support systems hidden in the walls and floors to secure large and heavy works of art and protect them in case of earthquakes. Among other highlights are the new 250-seat auditorium and the 450-seat Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater, an outdoor theater based on ancient prototypes that allows contemporary audiences to experience classical performances as they were once viewed. The site also incorporates new space for Getty staff and scholars, including state-of-the-art conservation laboratories, seminar rooms, a classroom, and the research library at the Villa with about 20,000 volumes. The Getty Villa will house the J. Paul Getty Museum’s collection of about 44,000 antiquities. More than 1,200 works will be on view in 23 galleries devoted to the permanent collection, now organized by theme, with five additional galleries for changing exhibitions. Two educational spaces will offer alternative ways to engage with art. The Family Forum, a hands-on discovery room for families, features activities that encourage shared learning experiences, while another interactive installation, the TimeScape Room, focuses on time, place and artistic style in the ancient Mediterranean. Research and scholarly activities at the Villa will be fueled by the presence of the Museum’s antiquities collection and the resources of the Research Library. As is the case with the ongoing scholars program at the Getty Research Institute, the new Villa Scholars Program will have an annual theme that serves as a focus for research and programs. A distinguished figure in the field will be honored as Villa Professor each year and will collaborate with Getty staff responsible for the intellectual direction of the program. The Getty Villa will also be home to the UCLA/Getty Master’s Program on the Conservation of Ethnographic and Archaeological Materials, the first master’s degree program on this subject in the United States. Three inaugural exhibitions will celebrate the opening. “Antiquity and Photography: Early Views of Ancient Mediterranean Sites” (January 28-May 1, 2006) explores the efforts of pioneering photographers to capture and study the visual remnants of the ancient world. “The Getty Villa Reimagined” (January 28-May 8) looks back on the Villa’s history and traces the vision that guided the development of the present site. “Molten Color: Glassmaking in Antiquity” (January 28-July 24) celebrates the recent acquisition of the Oppenl’nder collection of more than 350 pieces of beautiful and rare ancient glass. The Getty Villa off Coastline Drive will be open Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and major holidays. Admission is always free, but advance, timed tickets are required for each individual. Tickets can be obtained online at www.getty.edu or by phone at 440-7300 beginning today. Parking is $7 per car, cash only.
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