At a closely watched auction in 1989, eight years before the Getty Center opened, the nascent museum plopped down $35.2 million for it — that’s $88.6 million now, adjusted for inflation.

The J. Paul Getty Museum houses Vincent van Gogh’s “Irises” and many other priceless masterpieces in buildings that were dangerously close to the devastating Los Angeles wildfires.

The Palisades Fire reached the Getty Villa museum but didn't harm its collection. NPR speaks with Katherine Fleming, president and CEO of the Getty Trust, about how the museum protects its antiques.