WAVE HILL

I had never been to Wave Hill before but finally went last week. Wave Hill is a public garden comprised of two, previously private, adjoining estates on high land overlooking the Hudson River in Riverdale, in the Bronx, New York. There are formal gardens and naturalistic landscapes and two historic houses, Wave Hill House and Glyndor House (the latter in my photos below). The very persistently hot summer has taken a toll on greenery everywhere this year, drying out and burning leaves and grass but Wave Hill is still refreshing and beautiful. The moderate scale of the landscape makes it easy to enjoy in an afternoon and it was incredibly easy to get there via the number 2 express bus which was an airconditioned adventure in itself, winding its way through Harlem, Washington Heights and the Bronx. Do visit.

HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, GALLERIES, GARDENS

I had not been to "the Huntington" in San Marino, California, since my first trip to Los Angeles, quite a while ago. I finally got back there on my recent trip. A renovation of the galleries was completed recently and it really shows, in a good way. The installations are stunningly subtle (an oxymoron, yes), refined, exalted. The elements--art, architecture, furniture, decorative arts-are European (magnificence) but the effect is American (unencumbered). The gardens--Japanese, Chinese, Desert, Australian, etc--are splendid individuallly and viewed consecutively acheive an effect of additive awe. Definitely devote a day.

House:

Chinese garden

Japanese house

Japanese garden

Bonsai collection:

Desert garden

Mausoleum:

GETTY VILLA

We visited the Getty Villa in Malibu, California, my first time there (to the Getty Villa). The buildings, gardens and site are magnificent and there are remarkable things within. I am amazed, but not surprised, that some critics derided it as Disney-like kitsch when it opened. Of course, for me there is no such thing as kitsch, even Disney is deadly serious (seriously). The design was directed by Norman Neuerburg with a great deal of input by Mr. Getty himself . An extraordinary amount of handcraftsmanship was utilized in carrying out the design (coloful mosaics, intricate plasterwork, exquisite wall paintings, rich marble veneers). In a 1975 article, published in volume IV of Classical America, soon after the completion of the museum, Neuerburg recounted that "the initial reaction of the local critics, none capable of judging what had been done, was essentially negative, ranging from just unkind to downright vitriolic, and unfortunately their comments were picked up around the world and repeated by other equally unimaginative people."  He also noted though, that "the public, fortunately, doesn't pay too much attention to what critics say and the Museum has become impressively popular with visitors."

GARDENS IN BEVERLY HILLS

Greystone, in Beverly Hills, is a 1926 English late gothic/early renaissance style house surrounded by Italian renaissance/mannerist style gardens. Built by the Doheny family the property is now owned by the city of Beverly Hills and the gardens are a free public park. The house itself no longer has it's original furnishings and is rented out as a location for weddings, film shoots etc. On previous trips to Los Angeles I have visited the Virginia Robinson Gardens and the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden, both also in Beverly Hills--one could spend an entire day visiting these three sites and get a great idea of old (and beautiful and cultured) Los Angeles .