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The 134,000-square-foot Central Garden at the Getty Center is the work of artist Robert Irwin. The design of the Central Garden re-establishes the natural ravine between the Museum and the Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities with an inviting, tree-lined walkway that leads the visitor through an extraordinary garden experience. The walkway traverses a stream planted on each side with a variety of grasses and gradually descends to a plaza where bougainvillea arbors provide scale and a sense of intimacy. The stream continues through the plaza and ends in a cascade of water over a stone waterfall or "chadar," into a pool in which a maze of azaleas floats. Around the pool is a series of specialty gardens, each with a variety of plant material. All of the foliage and materials of the garden have been selected to accentuate the interplay of light, color, and reflection.
The process of creating the Central Garden began for Irwin in 1992, when he started working with Harold M. Williams and Stephen D. Rountree of the J. Paul Getty Trust in consultation with Richard Meier, the architect of the Getty Center. Irwin has also worked closely with Richard Naranjo, the Getty’s manager of grounds and gardens, and the landscape architecture firm of Spurlock Poirier, in finalizing all facets of the garden.
Construction Schedule
Spring 1996 Begin grading on the reflecting pool and chadar wall
Spring 1997 Complete grading for remainder of garden;
Begin construction of stream
Summer 1997 Complete construction of stream;
Install bridges and walkways;
Begin irrigation and first plantings;
Complete planting and installation of final details
December 1997 Garden completed;
Getty Center opens to the public
The Central Garden in Context
In addition to the Central Garden, the Getty Center features abundant landscaping for public enjoyment. Emmet L. Wemple & Associates Landscape Architects has designed the landscaping of the major hillsides of the 110-acre site; Olin Partnership, Philadelphia, has designed the other gardens throughout the campus.
Plants
More than 500 varieties of plant material are used in the landscaping of the Central Garden, including:
Botanical name |
Common name |
Trees: |
Platanus acerifolia |
'Yarwood' London Plane |
Lagerstroemia indica |
'Muskogee' Crape Myrtle |
Stream Garden: |
Helichrysum petiolatum |
Cudflower |
Cotyledon orbiculata |
no common name |
Kalanchoe |
various species |
Tibouchina urvilleana |
Princess Flower |
Geranium psilostemon |
Cranesbill |
Cannas |
no common name |
Terrace Bowers: |
Bougainvillea |
no common name |
Meadow: |
Muhlenbergia rigens |
Deer Grass |
Festuca mairei |
Maire's Fescue |
Terrace Gardens: |
Hydrangea macrophylla |
Garden Hydrangea |
Iris species |
no common name |
Rosa species |
Floribunda roses |
Tulips, South African and
Mediterranean Bulbs |
no common names |
Tropaeolum malus |
Garden Nasturtium |
Erigeron karvinskianus |
Fleabane |
Sempervivum tectorum |
Hen and Chicks |
Penstemon species |
Beard Tongue |
Salvia Species |
Sages |
Cosmos species |
no common name |
Azalea Pool: |
Three varieties of Southern Indica |
Rhododendron |
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About the Getty:
The J. Paul Getty Trust is an international cultural and philanthropic institution devoted to the visual arts that features
the Getty Conservation Institute, the Getty Foundation, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Getty Research Institute.
The J. Paul Getty Trust and Getty programs serve a varied audience from two locations: the Getty Center in Los Angeles and
the Getty Villa in Malibu.
Sign up for e-Getty at www.getty.edu/subscribe/ to receive free monthly highlights of events at the Getty Center and the
Getty Villa via e-mail, or visit our event calendar for a complete calendar of public programs.
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