One of the largest supporters of arts in the world, the J. Paul Getty Trust is an international cultural and philanthropic institution that focuses on the visual arts in all their dimensions. The Getty serves both the general public and a wide range of professional communities in Los Angeles and throughout the world.

Through the work of the four Getty programs—the Museum, Research Institute, Conservation Institute, and Foundation—the Getty aims to further knowledge and nurture critical seeing through the growth and presentation of its collections and by advancing the understanding and preservation of the world's artistic heritage. The Getty pursues this mission with the conviction that cultural awareness, creativity, and aesthetic enjoyment are essential to a vital and civil society.

Locations
The Getty is based in Los Angeles, California, and welcomes nearly 1.8 million visitors each year to its two locations, the Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Getty Villa in Malibu.

The Getty Center, a dramatic hilltop campus designed by Richard Meier, opened in 1997 and celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2007.

	Learn about exhibitions and events held for the Getty Center's 10th anniversary.

The Getty Villa in Malibu, the original location of the J. Paul Getty Museum, reopened in early 2006 with a new mission as an educational center and museum dedicated to the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria.

Both the Getty Center and the Getty Villa serve a varied audience through exhibitions, conservation, scholarship, research, and public programs.

History
J. Paul Getty viewed art as a civilizing influence in society and strongly believed in making art available to the public for its education and enjoyment. He opened the J. Paul Getty Museum to the public in 1954. This small museum, established in his ranch house in Malibu, housed collections of Greek and Roman antiquities, 18th-century French furniture, and European paintings. Fascinated with the ancient world of the Mediterranean, he later built a Roman-style villa, modeled after the Villa dei Papiri of the first century A.D.

	Learn about J. Paul Getty's life and his collecting philosophy.

When most of Mr. Getty's personal estate passed to the Trust in 1982, the Trustees sought to make a greater contribution to the visual arts through an expanded museum as well as a range of new programs. The Getty Conservation Institute, the Getty Research Institute, and the Grant Program were founded in the 1980s. The Grant Program, which furthers the work of all Getty programs and administers the Getty Leadership Institute, became the Getty Foundation in 2005.

The J. Paul Getty Trust continues Mr. Getty's vision, supported by directions from his will, which calls for "the diffusion of artistic and general knowledge."