Fall’s Fresh Faces

Getty Center, new $1-billion home of the J. Paul Getty Trust in Brentwood

Look for: Public opening Dec. 16. But plan now: Required parking reservations will be taken in advance, beginning Monday for groups and Sept. 28 for single cars: (310) 440-7300.

Why it matters: With its $4.2-billion endowment, the Getty has had a global impact while buying rare artworks, libraries and archives; saving cultural monuments; enhancing public school art education; and helping the art community get wired. Now, after 13 years of planning and construction, the Getty’s programs will be united on a spectacular hillside site. New York architect Richard Meier has designed a six-building campus to house a new museum; institutes for art conservation, education, information and research; and a grant program. Landscaping features a large garden by artist Robert Irwin.

The new museum is the central public attraction; art aficionados can’t wait to see new acquisitions and how the collection has shaped up. But even those who don’t know a Rembrandt from a Fra Bartolommeo are dying to ride the tram, take in the view and see how the Getty has spent its money. Art world tickets don’t get much hotter than this.