The Getty Villa Museum is officially back this summer. Following nearly a six-month closure due to the devastating Palisades Fire, the museum has announced it will reopen its doors on Friday, June 27. The Pacific Palisades institution, renowned for its classical antiques collection, will welcome visitors back with limited operations and a major new exhibition celebrating ancient Greek artistry.
When the fires approached the Getty Villa on January 7, a dedicated team of 17 Getty staff members volunteered to remain on-site to seal galleries and extinguish small fires. Their efforts, combined with the work of Los Angeles Fire Department, successfully spared the Villa from significant damage.
The Palisades fire approaches the Getty Villa on January 7.
Since January, the Getty Villa’s facilities and grounds teams have coordinated an extensive cleanup operation across the property. This included deep-cleaning indoor and outdoor spaces, flushing water systems, replacing all air and water filters, and removing more than 1,300 fire-damaged trees. While the museum structure remains intact, visitors may notice some changes to the landscape.
To celebrate its reopening, the Getty Villa will debut The Kingdom of Pylos: Warrior-Princes of Ancient Greece, running through January 12, 2026. This exhibition—the first major North American showcase focused on Mycenaean civilization—features over 230 artifacts from Messenia, including clay tablets inscribed in Linear B (the earliest form of written Greek) and the famous Pylos Combat Agate.
Colonnade and long pool of the Getty Villa.
For those who missed the previous exhibition on ancient Thracian culture, Ancient Thrace and the Classical World: Treasures from Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece, which closed prematurely due to the fire, the Getty has also created a virtual tour available online.
Beyond exhibitions, the Getty’s Outdoor Classical Theater will also return this fall with its 19th annual production, Oedipus, the King, Mama! co-produced with Troubadour Theater Company.
The Villa will operate on a limited schedule: Friday through Monday, 10am to 5pm. Daily attendance will be capped at 500 visitors, with free timed-entry reservations required and available online.
Julia Cancilla is the engagement editor (and resident witch) at ELLE Decor, where she manages the brand’s social media presence and covers trends, lifestyle, and culture in the design world. Julia built her background at Inked magazine, where she grew their social media audiences by two million, conducted interviews with A-list celebrities, and penned feature articles focusing on pop culture, art and lifestyle. Over her five years of digital media experience, Julia has written about numerous topics, from fashion to astrology.
