The Getty Villa museum reopened Friday after closing in January because of the wildfire that devastated areas of Pacific Palisades and nearby communities.
The Villa’s hours of operation are now 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays through Mondays, which museum officials said aims to reduce weekday traffic on Pacific Coast Highway.
The latest exhibition “The Kingdom of Pylos: Warrior-Princes of Ancient Greece” marks the Villa’s reopening. It will be on display through Jan. 12.
The previous exhibit “Ancient Thrace and the Classical World: Treasures from Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece” had to close during the fire but will reopen as a virtual tour.
The Villa also will create programming for “The Kingdom of Pylos.” The outdoor theater production “Oedipus the King, Mama!” is scheduled to start in September.
According to the museum, when the Palisades Fire broke out, 17 people from the Getty’s facility, grounds and security teams volunteered to stay on site to protect the Villa.
“Staff were able to seal the galleries and put out small fires in the days that followed,” according to a museum statement. “The Villa was spared through the valiant efforts of the LAFD firefighters in the surrounding neighborhoods and targeted water drops.”
The Villa has undergone an extensive cleanup that included deep cleaning indoor and outdoor spaces, flushing the water system, replacing all air and water filters, and removing more than 1,300 fire-damaged trees. The site may look different to visitors, with less vegetation and some burn damage to the outer grounds.
“We’re looking forward to seeing people return to the gardens and galleries, especially with the opening of ‘The Kingdom of Pylos,'” Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, said in a statement. “While work to rebuild the local community continues, I hope the Villa provides some respite and a place for people to reconnect with art and with each other.”
The Villa is currently not accessible from Sunset Boulevard, so museumgoers must enter using PCH. Reservations are limited to 500 visitors a day, and free timed-entry reservations are now available online. Parking remains $25.
