Art Collectors and Their Collections

Activity note: Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration: 3:30 p.m. After you have your room assignment, come over to the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing your name-tag, up-to-date schedule that reflects any last-minute changes, and other important information. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the program theme, the up-to-date daily schedule and any changes, discuss safety guidelines, emergency procedures, roles and responsibilities, and answer any questions you may have. Indicated times are approximate. Program activities, schedules, and personnel may need to change due to local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Transportation will be provided via private motorcoach unless specified otherwise. Thank you for your understanding. Lunch at the Getty Center on Day 3 is on your own. If you wish to eat at the Getty Restaurant, reservations are recommended. Make reservations for the restaurant by calling 310-440-6810. Reservations should be made between 12:00 Noon and 2:00 p.m. Lunch at the Huntington Library on Day 5 is on your own. If you wish to partake of the famous English Tea in the Rose Garden Tea Room, reservations are recommended as there is limited availability. Make your reservation by calling 626-683-8131. Reservations should be made between 12:00 Noon and 2:00 p.m. We have set aside some free time in the schedule for your personal independent exploration. The Group Leader will often be available during free time to accompany informal excursions, activities, or meals that have been excluded from the program cost. You are welcome to join if you like, with any associated costs on your own.

Dinner: At the hotel, we'll enjoy a plated meal with salad, entrée, side dishes, dessert, coffee, tea, water.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy the remainder of the evening getting to know your fellow participants and discovering what you share beyond a love of lifelong learning.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach. Walking and standing for up to 1.5 hours on docent-led visit; stairs or elevator between floors. Extent and duration of walking and standing during independent exploration according to personal choice.

Breakfast: We'll enjoy a plentiful buffet featuring a variety of choices including both hot and cold selections, coffee, tea, juice, and water.

Morning: At the hotel, an art historian will lead a captivating lecture on the historical background of Los Angeles museums and the art enthusiasts of Los Angeles and their world renowned collections. Personalities including Henry Huntington, J. Paul Getty, Norton Simon, and Charles Lummis made their living in Los Angeles and contributed to its becoming a major city in California. Each of their collections, ranging from Native American photography and prints to European masterpieces, are housed in museums throughout the city. After class, we’ll depart the hotel via motorcoach for the Norton Simon Museum. We'll go on a private docent-led walk of the Norton Simon Museum. We will then have time to explore the collections and the sculpture garden on our own. Like Monet’s Giverny, the garden at the Norton Simon Museum is a living work of art providing tranquil and inspirational surroundings for the Museum and its visitors. Many come to sketch the attractive landscaping and featured sculptures or simply relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

Lunch: At the Norton Simon Museum Café, we'll have a meal consisting of a healthy wrap, side salad, cookie, and bottled water.

Afternoon: We'll continue our independent exploration of the Norton Simon Museum.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions and give directions.

Evening: We’ll wrap up the evening with a video presentation of “Concert of Wills: Making the Getty Center” along with an opportunity for questions and answers afterwards. A massive undertaking that took more than a decade, the Getty Center rises out of the hill top, growing out of the natural geography of the area. The monumental complex required the gathering of creative personalities from numerous fields, which gave way to conflict and tension.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach. Moderate walking at the Getty Center; the art collection is displayed in four buildings; there may be temporary exhibits in two other buildings. Elevators are available. Elective: docent-led walks of art, architecture or gardens lasting about an hour. Extent and duration of walking and standing during independent exploration according to personal choice. Access to the Getty Garden involves a slight incline.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: An art historian with more than 20 years of experience at the museum will introduce the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, which houses European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and European and American photographs. Jean Paul Getty was an American industrialist, who was named the richest living American and the world’s richest private citizen by the Guinness Book of World Records. An avid collector of art and antiquities, he established the J. Paul Getty Trust, which remains the world's wealthiest art institution. From the hotel, we’ll ride via motorcoach to the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center to view the artwork discussed the night before. The Museum is accessed from the parking structure by a 3/4 mile hovertrain. The Getty Center is one of the most visited art museums in the United States and presents the Getty's collection of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present against a backdrop of dramatic architecture, tranquil gardens, and breathtaking views. This stunning collection features works by Titian, Rembrandt, Manet, and Monet. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration of the Getty Center.

Lunch: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions and give directions.

Afternoon: We'll continue exploring the Getty Center. After the Getty Center, we’ll return via motorcoach to the hotel for dinner.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: At the hotel, we'll gather for an expert-led learning session on the early history of Los Angeles. Officially founded in 1781 by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve, the early population consisted of ranchers taking advantage of the city’s Mediterranean climate. Growing as the regional capital of Alta California under Mexican rule, the city began to rapidly expand following the Mexican-American War and the completion of the Southern Pacific railroad in the late 19th century.

Activity note: Walking about 1.2 miles round trip to/from museums. Walking and standing for up to 1.5 hours on our docent-led visit. MOCA walking dependent on own interests.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: An art historian will lead a lecture that will introduce us to The Broad and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). The Broad is one of Los Angeles' newest contemporary art museums; it was founded by Eli and Edythe Broad and boasts one of the world's most significant collections of postwar and contemporary art. MOCA, established in 1979, is the only artist-founded museum in Los Angeles and holds around 7,000 objects of contemporary art. After the lecture, we will depart on foot from the hotel for the Broad, where we will enjoy a private docent-led exploration of the main exhibits.

Lunch: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions and give directions.

Afternoon: After lunch, you may either meet the group onsite, or walk 0.2 miles with the Group Leader to MOCA and enjoy a self-directed visit.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach. Moderate walking at the Huntington grounds over 200 acres with some inclines; stairs with limited elevators; extent of walking and other activities according to personal choice.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Our art historian will lead a class on the collections of Henry and Arabella Huntington. Their sprawling estate covering more than 600 acres is an oasis of art and culture set amidst the ever-changing botanical gardens. Three art galleries and a library showcase magnificent collections of rare books and manuscripts, 18th- and 19th- century British and French art, and early American art. We’ll depart the hotel via motorcoach for the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, which we will explore on our own. Personal audio devices to supplement your exploration are available for the Huntington Art Gallery and the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art.

Lunch: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like at the Huntington Library. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions and give directions.

Afternoon: We'll continue our independent exploration of the art collection, library, and gardens.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

Activity note: Hotel check-out 12:00 Noon.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: In our last class led by one of our historians, we’ll wrap up our program by reviewing the experiences we've had during our visits this week. After a brief break, we’ll rejoin our historian for a lecture that will closely follow the fundamentals of how museums generally manage their collections. Collections management is geared at maintaining the long-term safety and sustainability of museum pieces and is a very intricate process. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!