J. Paul Getty: The Real Story Behind The Man With All The Money In The World

Getty Began Construction Of A Museum For His Art

Institutional Archives/Getty Research Institute via Google Images

The Getty Villa was constructed down the street from J. Paul Getty’s Malibu home. It was styled after the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum, an ancient Roman town destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius. Getty reportedly said of its structure, “I refuse to pay for one of those concrete-bunker type structures that are the fad among museum architects—nor for some tinted-glass-and-stainless-steel monstrosity.” Getty followed the construction of the museum closely and like with all things in his life, was prudent throughout the process. He even scolded the architect for the unauthorized purchase of a $17 pencil sharpener, according to Philanthropy Roundtable.