Still(ed) Life (Thoughts on the Getty Center in LA)

From Rembrandt Laughing to Irises by Van Gogh to Cezanne’s Still Life with Apples, the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California boasts an impressive array of paintings, sculptures and modern outdoor pieces. From the clean, geometric design of its entrance hall to the rich colors and minimalistic design of its sunlit galleries, the Getty is a piece of art in of itself.

As stated on their website, “The J. Paul Getty Museum seeks to inspire curiosity about, and enjoyment and understanding of, the visual arts by collecting, conserving, exhibiting and interpreting works of art of outstanding quality and historical importance.”

And yet, as every eager visitor makes their way up the marble steps, past the sculpture Air by Maillol, they think of the name – Getty.

J. Paul Getty, an American industrialist, left his wealth and fortune to a trust, which was then used to build and operate the Getty center. His name – found on the lips of every art-enthusiast laying eyes on the center for the first time – remains immortalized within the museum, in every art gallery and every stone sculpture.

“I mean, they say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time,” said Banksy, an infamous graffiti artist.

Many times does a name become immortalized in a building, a monument, a museum. William Randolph Hearst and his extravagant estate, for example. These American magnates have invested their money in something much more important to them than art or grandiose architecture; they’ve invested in recognition and remembrance, even long after they’ve passed away.