J. Paul Getty Museum

The J. Paul Getty Museum is recorded in the diary through a single visit by Andy Warhol in Los Angeles on September 21, 1978. The brief account makes the museum memorable for an architectural reconstruction: a reproduction of a building in Italy whose location was known, though the building itself remained buried beneath another structure.

Visit in Los Angeles

The museum visit took place during Warhol’s stay in Los Angeles. His entry gives it an emphatic personal response, calling the experience thrilling, before noting the architectural display that had caught his attention. The account identifies the museum as a destination but offers no wider description of its collections or grounds.

The Unexcavated Building

The exhibit was a reproduction of a building that had not yet been excavated. Its location was known, but another building stood on top of it, leaving the original inaccessible. The reconstruction therefore brought a concealed Italian structure into view through a replica, making the gap between what was known about the site and what could physically be uncovered part of the visit’s interest.

A Diary Record

The visit is preserved as part of the weekday diary routine that Warhol and Pat Hackett used to record his activities and expenses. The entry pairs the museum outing with an ordinary purchase: Warhol bought a book on painting for $17. Together, the description of the unusual reconstruction and the specific cost give the museum visit both a cultural focus and the practical detail characteristic of the diary.