Built in 1997, atop Santa Monica Hills in Los Angeles, the Getty Center became a symbol of large scale public architecture as soon as it opened. Five interconnected pavilions clad in Italian Travertine stone house the Getty Museum. The design relies upon natural topography as well as formal interplay of geometries. It is the American Acropolis in its grandeur and ambition.
Panch Mahal at Fatehpur Sikri In India was built in the sixteenth century by Mughal Emperor Akbar. It is the earliest known example of a multistory frame structure akin to Le Corbusier’s Maison Dom-Ino designed in 1914–1915. Architect Le Corbusier is known as the father of modern architecture, however, Panch Mahal offered a glimpse of modern architecture before its time.
The astronomical observatories of Jantar Mantar are minimalist scientific instruments built with concrete and masonry in vivid colors. Built between 1724 and 1730, they inspired modernist painters and architects of early twentieth century. They offered a glimpse of minimalist architecture much before its time.