Educational Media Reviews Online

The recently opened Getty Center is perched on a hill overlooking Los Angeles. This billion-dollar museum was designed by Richard Meier to be more than an art museum. It is a complex of museum, grants program offices, housing for the five existing Getty institutes, and a research library. The library alone, shaped like a doughnut, houses three-quarters of a million volumes. In addition there is a laboratory where pioneering work on art conservation is taking place, along with a complete art-education program.

Artful Architecture provides a 29 minute introduction to the Getty Center through the eyes and thoughts of museum correspondent Jeffrey Kaye (part one). He discusses the building and its contents with the Getty Center's architect Richard Meier, architecture critic Leon Whiteson, and Los Angeles Times art critic Christopher Knight. The discussion of the facility is overlaid with wonderful images of the building and its art works. In addition, Kaye examines the Center's manuscript and photography collections, educational outreach programs, and the role of the museum in art preservation throughout the world.

In the second part journalist Elizabeth Farnsworth talks with Frank Gehry about the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao's remarkably innovative design. The discussion features an explanation of how Gehry attempted to reconcile the museum with the striking local topography and heritage. And how the building became a titanium-clad, ship-like gallery combined with wonderful shapes. Both the Getty and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao have been critically acclaimed.

This video program is a delightful introduction to both the Getty Center and the Guggenheim. The program is not intended as an in-depth study of either museum. It is recommended for all audiences, and will be especially useful to high school and undergraduate college students.