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Coventina

(28,058 posts)
Wed Jan 8, 2025, 11:49 AM Jan 8

Grounds of Getty Museum in LA Catch Fire

The grounds of the Getty Villa museum caught fire Tuesday as a fast-moving blaze continues to engulf the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in western Los Angeles, forcing thousands to evacuate as many lost their homes, reports Alex Greenberger for ARTnews. The museum building and staff were not harmed, and it helped that it was closed to the public on Tuesday. “Irrigation was immediately deployed throughout the grounds Tuesday morning,” a museum statement said, and its “galleries and library archives were sealed off from smoke by state-of-the-art air handling systems. The double-walled construction of the galleries also provides significant protection for the collections.” The museum houses over 44,000 objects, including Roman, Greek, and Etruscan antiquities dating from 6,500 BC to 400 AD, and it’s one of two Getty venues in the city. Late Tuesday night, social media was awash with dramatic images of the raging blaze, as well as the hilltop museum surrounded by flames ripping through its surrounding trees and vegetation. While the towering building, designed as a replica of the Villa dei Papiri at Herculaneum, appears to have been spared, smoke from nearby fires can damage artworks, and the tightly sealed museum will remain closed through January 13.

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/grounds-of-getty-museum-in-la-catch-fire-the-washington-posts-cartoonist-quits-over-censorship-1234729430/

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With everyone evacuated, they really won't know what the damage is until it's over and they can go back in.
Hoping for the best!!

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FSogol

(46,941 posts)
1. Now is the best time to pull off a heist! We'll disquise ourselves as fire fighters and go to the loading dock of
Wed Jan 8, 2025, 11:53 AM
Jan 8

the museum. From there we...

Kidding aside, hope everyone out there is staying safe.

Zorro

(16,596 posts)
2. The Getty Villa is fascinating
Wed Jan 8, 2025, 11:57 AM
Jan 8

I actually prefer it to the Getty Center, although that art museum is pretty nice, too.

I'm not surprised they'd have state-of-the-art fire prevention and suppression capabilities at either facility.

Golden Raisin

(4,692 posts)
3. The Getty Villa is perhaps my favorite spot in Los Angeles.
Wed Jan 8, 2025, 01:12 PM
Jan 8

Beyond the actual Museum collection, when you walk the grounds it's like being transported to ancient Roman times. Hoping indoor and outdoor damage is minimal.

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