I am fascinated with relics, libraries,
landmarks, and museums. I have been to both Bush presidential libraries, the
Reagan presidential library, the Nixon presidential library, the Carter
presidential library, the Eisenhower presidential library, the Truman
presidential library, the FDR presidential library, the Lincoln presidential
library, and the Kennedy presidential library.
I have visited most of the sites in and
around Washington DC, New York City, and Boston. I love visiting and touring
Israel, the UK, and Greece. I may someday relate to you the time I chastised a
Park Ranger at Mount Rushmore and the occasion when a United States Army major
and I ruined a tour guide’s day who referred to the names on the Vietnam War
Memorial wall as the names of baby killers.
One of the features that make the Los
Angeles area somewhat more tolerable for me is the art galleries, landmarks,
the La Brea tar pits, automotive museums, the Huntington Library and art
gallery, the Griffith Park Observatory, the Norton Simon Museum, and the two excellent
Getty museums (the Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Getty Villa in Malibu).
I have always been a fan of Francis
Schaeffer and thoroughly enjoyed reading his five-volume set presenting his
understanding of a Christian worldview. Reading him gave me an appreciation for
art and culture that I had not been taught as a child. So, I wasn’t upset that
Southern California Edison shut down our neighborhood’s power supply today,
including both the church facilities and my home. I noticed that the public
school half a block away was unaffected, with a normal school day interrupted
by a power outage.
Within an enforced day off, and with my
wife scheduled for two events that took her elsewhere, I had intended to spend
the day riding. Morning showers rule that out, so I decided to go to the Getty Center
on the west side of Los Angeles, across the 405 freeway from Bel Air.
Upon my arrival, I was surprised to learn
that the Getty Center is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its
location at that world-famous facility and architectural marvel. A flood of
memories from my first visit to that location a week after they opened for the
first time came back to me. Over the last quarter-century, I have visited the
Getty no less than 50 times, thoroughly enjoying each visit thanks to Francis
Schaeffer.
The museum and surrounding structures sit atop a hill overlooking Los Angeles from the Northwest. The parking structure is at the base of the mountain, and on my first visit with several young adults from the church, we had to hike up the hill to visit the four pavilions. It was only during the grand opening that anyone took notice that the architect, Richard Meier, and his team neglected to provide restrooms for the North Pavilion, a two-story structure containing sculptures, manuscripts, and paintings. What a blunder.
Several months later, I was there by myself
on the ground floor of the South Pavilion when I asked an elderly gentleman if
I could sit on the bench next to him. He granted permission, and after
hesitating for just a moment, he excitedly told me that his son was one of the
facility’s architects. Moments later, a man my age approached the two of us,
and the older gentleman introduced his architect son to me. We enjoyed a bit of
a chat, and he told me that he was the architect responsible for the design of
the South Pavilion. I then asked him: “If the Getty Museum is a tribute to
Western civilization and culture, with artwork from ancient Greece all the way
to modern Europe, why is there a Japanese garden next to the West Pavilion?” The
architect responded explosively, saying, “That’s what I want to know! But
regardless of the incongruity of it all, if the man who signs the checks wants
a Japanese garden, he gets a Japanese garden.” He was hot, I was amused, and we
parted company.
Ten or fifteen trips to the museum later, I
had the opportunity to meet the son of the man who owned the stone quarry in
Italy, where all the travertine was obtained that covers every building on that
hilltop. The quarry has been used for almost 2000 years and owned by that
family for centuries.
On another occasion, I was doing my turn as
a good citizen summoned for jury duty. Though I will never be called to serve
on a jury (Baptist pastors are thought too radical to serve on juries), I enjoy
jury duty because it gives me hours and hours of uninterrupted time to read and
a chance to meet new people. As it turns out, a man sitting nearby me was a
sheet metal contractor who spent most of his career doing the metalwork for the
Getty Center site. He told me that although he was the high bidder for the work,
he got the contract following an interview with the architect. “Why should we
hire you to do this metalwork, with your bid being so much higher than everyone
else’s?” He responded, “You should hire me because I do better work than anyone
else, and you will never be unhappy with what you get from me.” That response,
he told me, landed him the contract.
Why do I love going to museums? Because I
think Francis Schaeffer correctly understands the Bible in that regard. The
human race is depraved, desperately needing the salvation only Jesus Christ
provides, and utterly incapable of taking even the smallest step in God’s
direction. Even so, sinful men bear God’s image and are capable of doing some
remarkable things. Whether it be art, engineering, science, or literature, that
the human race bears a marred image of God means that although no sinner can move
toward God except he is drawn, that does not mean humans cannot do anything.
Art galleries, science exhibits, air and space museums, libraries, and other such
things provide a glimpse of what humanity might have been capable of but for
sin.
Below are a few pictures related to this
visit to the Getty Center. I hope you will be able to visit it someday. I think
it is worth the trip.
What you see when you step off the tram from the parking area.
How I learned about the 25th anniversary.
What follows is from the latest exhibit in the North Pavilion.
Looking South Southwest and overlooking where O. J. Simpson murdered two people.
The South Pavilion where I met the architect and his father.
Overlooking the Japanese garden just West of the tribute to Western civilization.
Overlooking southward to West Los Angeles.
A grand view of the Getty Center complex with downtown Los Angeles in the distant background.
