In the mid-twentieth century, J. Paul Getty was long thought to be the worlds' richest private individual. Even adjusted for inflation, his billionaire status - around six billion dollars (34 billion in current dollars) - seems modest compared to today's current batch of billionaires. Something has changed. Today's income inequality probably exceeds that of the Gilded Age. People become fabulously wealthy partly because of great ideas and individual effort, but reaching billionaire status also requires favorable government regulations and rulings of law. A sign at the Getty Museum states that Getty truly believed in the transformative power of art. It also stated that at the time of his death, the vast majority of his wealth was left to the J. Paul Getty Trust, which was entrusted with managing and expanding his vast art collection for the betterment of his fellow Americans, more specifically the people of Southern California. America has long benefited from the philanthropy of extreme wealth, such as the Rockefellers and Carnegie. It is somewhat comforting that Getty's extreme wealth was eventually used for the public good. His fortune allowed the purchase of the 110-acre site for the Getty Center campus in the Santa Monica Mountains. Renowned architect Richard Meier was tasked with creating a stunning, rambling campus with buildings clad in 1.2 million square feet of beige-colored travertine stone. The stone was quarried in Bagni di Tivoli, Italy. Getty, the man, was notoriously frugal; however, at the Getty campus, it seems no expense was spared. Even with that expenditure, the Getty Trust remains one of the world's best-endowed art institutions, with an endowment exceeding $6 billion. The Getty is gorgeous.
Arriving at The Getty Center, you leave your car below and ascend the mountain via a computer-operated, three-car elevated tram. The views from the tram build anticipation for even more spectacular views above. You hop off the tram in a central plaza surrounded by six two-story buildings. At first glance it seems like a rambling, somewhat chaotic array of buildings. Gradually, you perceive a grid: an organizational pattern based on 30-inch squares of travertine paving stones, metal and stone wall panels and windows. Everything lines up, inside and out. An order that establishes harmony and rhythm and coexists with the natural environment. You feel it without thinking. The museum has a fabulous collection. Vincent van Gogh's "Irises" is the most famous piece. However, you are torn between wanting to wander inside to look at art or wander outside to see the gardens, the expansive views of the city, and the Pacific Ocean. Admission is free. So anyone can wander around and experience what billions of dollars can buy.
Sometimes great wealth creates incredible beauty, available to all. Frequently not. Teddy Roosevelt coined the phrase "malefactors of great wealth" in a 1907 speech targeting corporate leaders of the "trusts" which controlled the politics of the time. His speech is still relevant; only the characters' names have changed. Regulations that favor the top one percent and turn a blind eye toward monopolistic practices are bad for everyone else. As President Adams stated long ago, popular elections are our best guarantee... the fall midterms are coming up fast.
Take a walk with Birkenstock.
