Who doesn't enjoy exploring a new or great museum? And as much as I enjoy going to the Getty Center in Los Angeles, I really do prefer going to the original J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Villa. I don’t know if it’s the proximity to the ocean, with its lulling sounds and perpetual breeze, but there is a certain tranquility I always feel while meandering through the museum and gardens at this Malibu institution. (Trust me, it is a perfect place to take a date.) And since its renovation and re-opening back in 2006, it’s even more sublimely spectacular than could might have imagined; having added an outdoor theater, for plays and concerts, and a café for lunch.

Built in 1974 (and fashioned, in part, after the Villa dei Papiri) this location, just a stone’s throw from the Pacific Ocean (and Mr. Getty's former Pacific Palisades's home), is dedicated to the study of the arts and culture of Ancient Greece, Rome and Entruria. Even though the museum's layout is much smaller, as is the collection, than that of the Getty Center, there are more than enough exhibitions, films, lectures and concerts to make the journey up Pacific Coast Highway, well worth the drive. Plus, can you think of a better reason to pack a picnic and rent a convertible for the day?

The Getty Villa, Malibu
17985 Pacific Coast Highway
Pacific Palisades, California 90272
310.440.7300

HOURS:
Monday - Sunday: 10:00am - 5:00pm
Tuesdays: CLOSED

ADMISSION: FREE
($15 Parking Reservation are required)

SIDE NOTE: 
If you visit both museums on the same day, (which can be done)
you only have to pay the $15.00 Parking Fee once.

ED... It is the color of life, that which courses through our veins. It is vividly present as we are being ushered into this world and, too often, when death escorts us out. It is the universal color of war; red blood-stained battlefields unable to distinguish (and not really caring) who was right and who was wrong. 

And while black & white may serve as a wardrobe’s foundation, it is the color red that most awakens it. When worn in a gentleman’s tie, the hue speaks to power and vitality; in a gentlewoman’s garment, sensuality and vibrancy. Its rich lushness intimates a certain sexual wantonness when its ruby tone is seductively brushed across a sweetheart’s lips or furtively peeks from beneath a lover's blouse. It is the color redolent of a most perfect rose given to a loved-one... both in life and in death.  It is the color of Passion. It is the color of LOVE. 

Even though an infinitesimal mark of black shall signal the conclusion of my life's story, I can only hope that the cadence of my journey will show as having been lived (and fought) in red. With Passion... and, most importantly, with LOVE. 

For those of you NOT adventurous enough to go towards any shopping area today, he's a little something to keep you entertained while waiting for the brave ones to return home. Enjoy.

There has never been a more striking color contrast or combination than that of Black and White: from clothing to furniture, photography to artwork, and yes, even in food (B&W cookie, anyone?). It just works, beautifully. Here in California, where there are no real noticeable changes to our seasons, to signify the emergence of fall and winter, we just tend to add more black to our wardrobes. 

Years ago, there was indeed a point when I wore entirely too much black, year-round; seemingly stuck in a period of perpetual mourning, a state of sartorial abeyance. (Or so it seemed.) And while I have finally started adding bits of color to my wardrobe, looking at the images below, I now remember why I still opted to decorate my apartment in the visual romance that is Black & White: It just works… Beautifully!

Who hasn’t seen and fallen in love with at least one image from the late photographer, Herb Ritts? (For me, any photo of Cindy Crawford works) His images are more than beautiful photographs. They are reminders of places and times in pop culture; visual soundtracks, if you will. There’s Janet Jackson in the desert, Cindy, Naomi, Linda, Christy, Stephanie and Tatjana insouciantly huddled together in a nude embrace and one of his first photographs: Richard Gere posing defiantly behind a broken down vehicle in San Bernardino, CA.

The Getty Center has brought together some of Ritts’s most recognizable portraits for this breathtaking and informative exhibit. These are pictures that we’ve seen and admired in publications such as GQ, Vogue and Vanity Fair; images that are forever woven into America’s tapestry. Since the retrospective has been extended until next Sunday, Sept 2nd, you’ve one more week to witness, up close, the genius of Ritts. Be certain to rent the free audio guide, which offers backstories on some of his work, as well as, interviews from a few of his famous subjects like Cindy Crawford, Richard Gere and fellow photographer, Matthew Rolston. 

One good thing about going to museums, as opposed to a movie, on a first or second date is that it gives you a chance to connect and discuss, in the moment, shared likes/dislikes: Monet vs Manet, Jacob Lawrence vs. Wm. Johnson, Picasso vs. Kadinsky, etc. You wouldn't want to find out too late that your "soulmate" is a Koons supporter, would you?

(Click here for schedules of other Southern California museums.)

And a couple of images for the ladies...

The following images by N.D. Harrington for The Sophistciated Gentleman...

THE GETTY CENTER
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, California 90049
310.440.7300

HOURS:
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday: 10:00 - 5:00
Friday & Saturday: 10:00 - 9:00