California
Art Collectors and Their Collections
Program No. 1183RJ
Discover the beauty of Southern California’s best museums, enjoying lectures, docent-led walks and a close look at the life and collections of local art enthusiasts.
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Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date.
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While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
6 days
5 nights
What's Included
9 meals (
5B, 1L, 3D
)
6 expert-led lectures
8 expert-led field trips
An experienced Group Leader
5 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Day
1
Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Location:
Los Angeles
Meals:
D
Stay:
The Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles
Activity Note
Hotel check-in available from 3:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).
Afternoon:
Program Registration: 3:00 p.m. After you check in to the hotel and receive your room assignment, visit the Road Scholar table to register with program staff and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please contact your Group Leader and let them know when you arrive. Orientation: 5:00 p.m. The Group Leader will lead introductions, provide an up-to-date daily schedule with any changes, discuss safety guidelines, emergency procedures, roles and responsibilities, and answer questions. Program-related travel and transfers will be via private motorcoach unless otherwise noted. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/current conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for 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- 2:00 p.m. We set aside some free time in the program schedule for independent exploration. The Group Leader is often available during free time to accompany informal outings, activities, or meals that were excluded from the program cost. You are welcome to join and assume any associated costs.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure. Continue to get to know your fellow participants, settle in, and rest for the day ahead.
Day
2
Los Angeles Collectors, Norton Simon Museum
Location:
Los Angeles
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
The Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach. Walking and standing for up to 1 1/2 hours on our docent-led visit. Plan for stairs or elevator between floors. Walk to local restaurant is approximately 0.6 miles each way.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
An art historian will lead a lecture on the historical background of Los Angeles museums and world renowned art collectors including Henry Huntington, J. Paul Getty, Norton Simon, and Charles Lummis. Each of their collections, ranging from Native American photography and prints to European masterpieces, are housed in museums throughout the city. After class, we will depart the hotel for the Norton Simon Museum. Enjoy a docent-led walk before independent exploration of the collections and the sculpture garden. The garden at the Norton Simon Museum is a living work of art that provides tranquil and inspirational surroundings for museum visitors. Many come to sketch the attractive landscaping and featured sculptures or simply relax and enjoy the atmosphere.
Lunch:
Boxed lunch at the museum.
Afternoon:
We will continue our independent exploration of the Norton Simon Museum before returning to the hotel via motorcoach.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
After dinner, we will gather at the hotel for an expert-led learning session on the early history of Los Angeles. Officially founded in1781 by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve, the early population consisted of ranchers taking advantage of the area’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-nineteenth century.
Day
3
J. Paul Getty Museum Lecture & Visit
Location:
Los Angeles
Meals:
B,D
Stay:
The Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach. Moderate walking and standing at the Getty Center. The art collection is displayed in four buildings and 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 other activities during independent exploration is according to personal choice. Access to the Getty Garden involves a slight incline.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
An expert 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. Wealthy American industrialist, Jean Paul Getty, was an avid collector of art and antiquities who established the J. Paul Getty Trust. After the lecture, we will ride via motorcoach to the Getty Center. The museum is accessed by a ¾ mile hover train ride from the parking structure. The Getty Center is one of the most visited art museums in the United States, exhibiting 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 independent exploration.
Lunch:
On your own.
Afternoon:
Continue to explore the Getty Center before returning to the hotel via motorcoach.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure.
Day
4
Lecture, Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens
Location:
Los Angeles
Meals:
B
Stay:
The Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach. Moderate walking at the Huntington grounds, which are over 200 acres with some inclines. There are stairs with limited elevators. Plan for standing and walking for one hour during a docent-led walk. Additional walking and other activities are according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
An art historian will lead a class on the collections of Henry and Arabella Huntington. Their sprawling estate covers more than 600 acres and is an oasis of art and culture set within an ever-changing botanical garden. Three art galleries and a library showcase magnificent collections of rare books and manuscripts, eighteenth and nineteenth-century British and French art, and early American art. We will depart the hotel via motorcoach for the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, and enjoy a docent-led walk before self-guided exploration.
Lunch:
On your own at the Huntington Library.
Afternoon:
Continue our independent exploration of the Huntington art collection, library, and gardens before returning to the hotel via motorcoach.
Dinner:
On your own.
Evening:
At leisure.
Day
5
Lecture, Museum of Contemporary Art, The Broad
Location:
Los Angeles
Meals:
B
Stay:
The Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles
Activity Note
Walking and standing for up to 1 hours on our docent-led visit. Plan for stairs or elevator between floors. The extent and duration of walking and standing during independent exploration is according to personal choice. Walking to/from museums approximately .4 miles.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
An art historian will lead a lecture to introduce us to the contemporary collections at The Broad and MOCA. After class, we will depart the hotel for the Museum of Contemporary Art. At MOCA, enjoy self-exploration of L.A.'s only artist-founded museum housing contemporary art from 1940 to present.
Lunch:
On your own.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we'll meet at The Broad for a docent-led walk of the museum's architecture and collection of over 2,000 works of contemporary art from 1950 to present. Note: The docent-led walk may include artist Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room. Participants may stay in the room for up to 1 minute. If you have a sensitivity to flashing lights or closed dark spaces, please refrain from this experience.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.
Day
6
Collections Management Lecture, Program Concludes
Location:
Los Angeles
Meals:
B
Activity Note
Hotel check-out by 11:00 a.m.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
In our last class, we will review the experiences we had this week. Additionally, an art historian will give a lecture about the fundamentals of museum collections management. Collections management works to maintain 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 programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes on your next journey!
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