Photos of Robert Irwin's Central Garden
About Robert Irwin's Central Garden
Robert Irwin's Central Garden sits in a ravine right in the middle of the Getty Center, up on the hill above Los Angeles. Irwin was an installation artist rather than a landscape designer, and it shows in the best possible way. Everything else up there is white travertine and a careful palette of greens and greys. Then you reach the edge of the ravine and there's a suddenly a pop of hot pink dropped into the middle of it. While you are at the top looking over the whole garden pause to shoot it from above first. From the terraces at building level the whole thing shows its full layout and intricately designed, plus that's the only place to see the whole azalea maze as it floats in its peaceful pool. A zigzag path crosses and recrosses the stream on the way down into the gardens, so the view keeps changing. At the bottom there are three steel arbors covered with bougainvillea, that draw you into the whole lower garden. Shooting straight up through one with the sky behind it to highlight the colours against a pop of rich blue. The stream finishes in a cut stone cascade dropping into the pool. Ideally try to come more than once if you can since the gardens have a completely different look and feel depending on the season. In summer the arbors are covers in bright flowers and the metal completely disappears. Winter changes the bougainvilleas and leaves the structure standing bare, which is a completely different picture. White travertine on both sides means plenty of bounced light and hard contrast in the middle of the day, so earlier or later in the day helps give you some softer light. A grey early summer morning treats the pinks and greens far better than full sun. Getting in is free but you will have pay to park, and a tram carries you up from the parking garage. (Los Angeles, California, USA)
