A Guide to Southern California for Classical Art Enthusiasts (Interactive Map)

Editor's Note: This blog was originally published on the OUPBlog, and was re-published here courtesy of the Oxford University Press. 

Every year, millions of people visit California in search of beaches, hiking, celebrity sightings, and more. In the map below, Peter J. Holliday shows us his version of California, focusing on the rich history of classically inspired art and architecture in Southern California. Enjoy the stories of grand landmarks such as Hearst Castle, Pasadena City Hall, and the Getty Villa. Holliday writes about the initial criticism of the Getty Villa:

"The initial reception of the Getty Villa is notorious. The Villa represented the past as if it were new, without any of the sense of passage of time separating out the visitor from antiquity. This staging elicited all manner of hand-wringing over issues of authenticity. Its pristine condition discomfited critics; its sense that the imagined brought forth the many comparisons, both positive and negative, with Disneyland”

Peter J. Holliday will also be giving tours of Pasadena during the 2016 Society of Architectural Historians Annual International Conference on April 9th.

Peter J. Holliday is Professor of the History of Art and Classical Archaeology, California State University, Long Beach. Trained as an historian of classical art and archaeology, Holliday has received awards for his research and writing from the American Academy in Rome, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, J. Paul Getty Trust, Samuel H. Kress Foundation, and National Endowment for the Humanities.