What Visitors Can See at the Getty Center and the Getty Villa Museum

Getty operates two separate museum sites in Los Angeles, and the choice between them depends on what you want to see. The Getty Center and the Getty Villa Museum each offer art, architecture, and gardens, but they are distinct destinations with different collections and settings. Before visiting, check each venue's own information on getty.edu, since hours, ticketing, and access details are managed per site. The site's "Our Locations" section is the entry point for planning a visit to either one.

Two Sites, Two Experiences

Getty's own description frames the two locations as places to "enjoy the art, architecture, and gardens of our two unique sites." That phrasing is the clearest guide to how to plan: treat them as two separate outings rather than one combined museum.

The site does not, in the material available here, spell out which specific collections sit at which venue beyond the general "ancient to modern times" span of Getty's art and research collections. That means the reliable move is to open each location's page and confirm what is on view before you commit to a day.

What the Collections Cover

Getty describes its art and research collections as spanning "ancient to modern times," and its research and conservation work as covering visual art and cultural heritage "in Los Angeles and throughout the world." For a visitor, this signals breadth: you are not choosing between a single-period museum and a modern one, but between two sites that together draw on a wide historical range.

A concrete example of how exhibitions sit within this: the site features Reggie Burrows Hodges: A Theater of Passions, described as the artist's first solo museum presentation in his hometown of Los Angeles, in which he highlights the drama and theatricality behind 17th-century Italian paintings from Getty's collection. This illustrates the kind of programming Getty presents—contemporary artists in dialogue with historical works—and it is the sort of listing to check on the exhibitions pages when planning which site to visit.

Planning Steps

1. Start at "Our Locations." The site navigation includes this section, which links to both the Getty Villa Museum and the Getty Center.
2. Open the page for each venue you are considering. Confirm what is currently on view, since exhibitions change.
3. Check the visit information for that specific site. The available material does not list hours, prices, or reservation requirements, so verify these directly on each location's page rather than assuming they are shared between the two.
4. Decide based on collection and setting. If the exhibition or collection you want is at one venue, plan around that venue rather than trying to cover both in one trip.

Beyond the Museums

getty.edu is not only a visitor site. It also offers free research tools, according to its own description, along with:

• Art and Research Collections — explore the collections online
• Research Databases and Software and APIs — tools for work and study
• K–12 Teaching resources — materials for educators
• Internships and Grants — funding and opportunities
• News & Stories — articles on conservation, staff projects, and collection highlights
• Shop — art-inspired books, jewelry, and gifts

If your interest is research or teaching rather than a visit, the "All Resources" section is the better starting point than the locations pages.

Common Pitfalls

• Treating Getty as one museum. The two sites are separate; confirm which one holds what you want to see.
• Assuming shared logistics. Because the available material does not state hours, pricing, or access rules, check each venue's page individually.
• Skipping the exhibition listings. Current shows, like the Hodges presentation, are the fastest way to decide which site is worth the trip right now.

For questions or feedback, the site's Contact page is the listed route to get in touch.