Ministerial Musings: “The Getty Center 25th Anniversary Reflections”

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 25^th 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.