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This hip, silly, and ultimately sophisticated tour of the Getty, "once a man, now a Center," is by J.otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh, the well-known creators of the whimsical Olive, the Other Reindeer and four other delightfully wacky children's books. Their point of view can be compared only to a few other determinedly quirky individualists. Their art, however, is unique: sublimely blithe, computer... More

This hip, silly, and ultimately sophisticated tour of the Getty, "once a man, now a Center," is by J.otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh, the well-known creators of the whimsical Olive, the Other Reindeer and four other delightfully wacky children's books. Their point of view can be compared only to a few other determinedly quirky individualists. Their art, however, is unique: sublimely blithe, computer-generated "modern" grab bags of form, line, lettering, and sophisticated color, with photographs and art reproductions thrown in from page to page. The pictures show a wonky, computer-generated family--Mom, Dad, and two kids--taking the Getty's tram to the top of the Los Angeles hill where its museum, offices, auditorium, conservation and research institutes, gardens, manuscript galleries, and publications offices (and more) are spread out. The text is deadpan: "The oldest painting in the Museum is from around 1330, and the newest one is from 1896. So even the newest painting is old."

Offering a tantalizing glimpse at the Getty's holdings, this book mentions the vast photography collections (with an 1880 image of the Eiffel Tower under construction) and clock collection (who knew?), as well as painting and sculpture. "Everyone has an opinion about what sculpture is." They describe the museum laboratories and the old paints that are used for "fixing an old painting." ("A certain ground-up bug made an interesting red.") In the end, "There is still a lot to see at the Getty Center, but the fog tells us that it is time to go home"--to return another day, no doubt. --Peggy Moorman

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