FX.co ★ The world's richest Art Museum

The J. Paul Getty Museum, located on the West Coast of the United States, was recognized as the world's richest museum. The complex of buildings of this institution costs $1.3 billion, and the annual budget is equal to $300 million. Notably that people can look at the museum's collections absolutely for free.

The founder of this non-profit cultural institution is Jean Paul Getty, one of the first dollar billionaires in the world's history.

In the photo: Getty Center's complex, top view.

The Getty Museum opened its doors in 1976 (in the year of Getty's death). In 1997, it got the additional complex of buildings because there wasn't enough room for the impressive collection of art works.

The new complex for the museum was built by the eminent architect from the USA, the winner of the Pritzker Prize, Richard Meier.

The Getty Center had been building for 10 years, from 1987 to 1997.

The complex consists of the museum building, as well as Research Institute and administrative buildings.

The exterior of the world's richest museum is his another feature. The complex's buildings are coated with travertine and aluminium panels. Because of the combination of these textures, the Getty Museum's buildings change their color three times a day - at dawn, in the afternoon and at sunset (colors change under the influence of the sun light).

The exterior of the museum's buildings is designed to trifles: walls and ceilings are made of glass, so the visitors can look at the paintings in natural lighting.

Besides free entrance to the permanent and temporary exhibitions, visitors of the J. Paul Getty Museum are able to attend lectures and seminars on art absolutely for free.

The endowment of the Getty Museum is equal to $6.3 billion. The total annual budget of this non-profit organization reaches $300 million. Every year, the museum has to spend 5% of the endowment sum according to the Getty Trust's rules.

In the photo: Getty Villa, which is also a part of the Getty Museum.

Annually, about 2.1 million visitors come to the museum. More than 1.5 million people, as a rule, visit the Getty Center and about 0.6 million people visit Getty Villa.

The main exhibition of the Getty Museum is presented by the paintings of the European artists before the XX centure. The Getty Center visitors can look at the canvases of Vincent Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Edouard Manet and other famous artists.