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Norton Simon Museum
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Categories: Museums, Botanical Gardens
Neighborhood: Pasadena411 W Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 449-6840
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- Hours:
Mon., Wed-Thu. 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Fri. 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
147 reviews for Norton Simon Museum
The Norton Simon plays a good part of the happy life style of So. Cal.
Seems like ever since I can remember this particular museum comes to mind up front when I have a crave for art on the weekend. A superb selection of high quality, even well known, pieces and most periodical exhibits are always worth the drive from O.C.
If you love a nice museum visit from time to time, the Norton is one to be sure to not overlook.
With all the art museums in the Los Angeles area, I would like to vote the Norton Simon the best in all the land. I really like the selection of art they have here.
The current exibit, Divine Demons: Wrathful Deities of Buddhist Art runs from August 14, 2009-March 8, 2010. It is really amazing to see century-old statues of dieties and statues made of gold. I really enjoyed this exibit.
The Sweets & Treats exibit by Wayne Thiebaud left much to be desired. I really wanted to like this exibit, but it just looked like 4th grade art to me. To each his own, I guess.
The rest of the art work on permanent display consists of European artworks spanning from the 14th - 19th centuries and Modern & Contemporary art. I brought my boyfriend here for his first time and he was really amazed that all the art he had only seen in books (ie. Van Gogh, Picasso, Renior, etc.) was right there, staring him back in the face.
The collections overall are really great, the gardens are beautiful, and the gift shop has an excellent selection of books and trinkets.
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Pro: You can park really close to the front door.
Con: You are going to see a lot of wangs with all the Rodin sculptures exposing themselves on the lawn.
Pro: Now when I watch the Rose Parade, I can say "I've been there."
Con: Why do paintings get soooo boring after a while?
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Day-um, that Norton Simon guy got it right. Spending his beaucoup bucks on some nice art and then making it available for us common folk to come peer at.
The small size was a benefit for me. It wasn't so overwhelming that I was exhausted at the end of the day, while still feeling like I hadn't seen all on offer. Precisely the opposite. The Museum is intimate enough that most everything can be viewed briskly in an hour, or at a more leisurely pace in 3-4 hours.
Still, you can go gah-gah for Degas, as there are over 100 works from him alone! Plus heaps of stuff from the Impressionist period. And then there's the downstairs with the southeast Asian and Hindu representations.
The museum store's art book selection is drool-worthy.
Photography of the main collections are allowed, provided no flash. Luckily, I hate flash, so it's all good.
The garden settings are just as enjoyable as the indoor displays, although there could be a little more seating.
A well-spent $8 ($4 if you're a senior, or free if you're a student) and visitors are even offered an art print upon exiting. It was a Gauguin print on my visit.
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Students get in for FREE if they show their school IDS. General admission is $8, check on their site for other pricing/offers. They're opened everyday of the week except Tuesdays. Going on Fridays may be the best because that's the only day they close at 9pm! I came here with my boyfriend because it was an assignment for our Anthropology 3 class at PCC. Although we did JUST come to do our homework, I really enjoyed my time here.
Everything is very well organized & extremely clean! They have interesting exhibits, my favorite was downstairs & it was called "On the Enlightened path: Jain Art from India." It was interesting & I think we spent 3-4 hours at the museum looking at all the collections.
Also, outside is this beautiful garden & the view is breathtaking! They also have a cafe there & seats where you can eat, relax, & enjoy the scenery.
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Unfortunately, I have a tendency to get really restless in museums- to the point where I practically run through them to be done with it already, or inevitably start to generate artistically offensive commentary. I'm working on it.
The Norton Simon is hassle-free and unpretentious. $0 parking & free for me and my technically-expired student ID. I liked that the museum isn't so gigantic to the point of overwhelming, and the garden is super nice and peaceful. I like having the option of casually stopping by for a short amount of time to see easily-accessible pieces I like the most.
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I truly enjoyed my visit to the Norton Simon Museum.
The size of the museum and art work available were just right and not too overwhelming. The entrance fee was also very reasonably priced.
I was very surprised to see all the art collections here, from Monet, Renoir, Picasso, to the Asian sculptures. Very impressive. It was also very refreshing to be able to walk out to the garden in between the art halls. I highly recommend this museum if you have 2-3 hours to spare.
I really enjoy this museum. The museum itself is very sleek and contemporary inside, the art selection is great and many a time I used to come here to unwind by myself. It's relatively cheap, and sometimes they have various performances in the auditorium here, concerts and what not.
There's a charming little garden in the back that has to be one of the most peaceful places in pasadena.
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The collection is lovely. The masters are represented, and there are artists I had never heard of before. Norton Simon was an interesting man, a self made art critic, and the movie about him (directed by a Guggenheim) was well done. I am not a fan of modern art, I really don't get it, so I liked that the museum didn't focus on it to the exclusion of other periods. The docents watch you like a hawk; get too close and they'll call you out. It's a bit unnerving at first to see them staring at you, but you get used to it.
The outside garden is beautiful, but I think seeing it at this time of the year is not the best time, it's a bit crispy from the heat. You can hear traffic, so it isn't an ideal setting, but if you just ignore the noise you can appreciate the beauty.
The building itself is gorgeous, with interesting architecture and muted colors.
I did not appreciate the South Asia collection. How many statues can a person look at? It felt like a visit to a very expensive Thai restaurant. On the positive side, the docents downstairs are busy flirting with each other and generally ignoring the visitors, so they aren't as imposing. They need to take some of the grumpy older ladies from upstairs and move them down to SE Asia to teach the younger docents how to intimidate the guests.
There's free parking, beautiful landscaping, and Rodin in the front walkway. It will take a few hours to walk through, and it's worth the visit.
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I love museums and this one was worth going to for me because there was an actual Asian exhibit that's not filled with fine China & jade. It had a nice collection of sculptures from India to far east Asia. The set up was very tranquil where you can sit on the bench and just relax and take in the surrounding displayed sculptures.
THE CHILI: I just found out that the cafe at the museum was managed/owned by the Patina Group and I am so not surprised. The chili there is THE BOMB!!!! I always look forward to snacking at museums to just relax and enjoy the view but when we ordered their chili my eyes lit up!! It was so amazing! After finishing it I HAD to order another bowl to go to enjoy at home. Who knew a wonderful museum can also have such tasty eats too :).
This place was small and the garden wasn't extensive but the snacks/cafe and the art they exhibited is definitely worth coming to.
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Every year I watch the Rose Parade and they always show the Norton Simon and I have wanted to go but I never made my way there mostly because I have to drive 30 miles or so and through downtown LA and we all know how bad traffic is here.
I have been to some of the best museums in the world the real difference is that you don't have to walk miles and miles to see some of the most famous artists work.
It's really inexpensive in comparison to most museums and galleries I have been to ($8 for adults and FREE for students) and they have a small garden and cafe too.
If you live in the LA area or are just visiting it is a MUST!
I took lots of photos so check them out.
Oh...here is one thing that was kind of creepy...there was ALWAYS 2 -5 security people watching you at all times....worse than Disney security. :)
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Great variety of works from the 14th century to modern. Super collection of impressionists and other late 19th, early 20th century works. Even get outside of Europe and American and check out the Asian art. The sculpture garden provides a nice change of pace and a place to stretch the legs and reset the brain. The museum is a nice size, just when you get tired you've seen it all. Perfect.
Can't beat free admission for students.
My god is there a lot of Degas here.
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Lovely little museum located in lovely Pasadena. It's relatively inexpensive (just $8 for adults but students can come for free and the parking is free as well) and offers a truly excellent collection of artwork.
I'm a huge fan of Degas and all the ballet dancer themed art he did. This museum has one of his famous "Little Dancer" statues as well as numerous others and many of his painting and drawings. I also loved the "Tub" statue. On top of all the Degas the museum has some spectacular Monet, Picasso, and Rembrandt paintings as well as a truly beautiful Diego Rivera painting "The Flower Vendor". They are also kind enough to allow you to take photographs of everything (sans flash of course) so you have some memories of your favorite pieces even if they aren't available as prints in the gift shop.
The garden is nice enough but having such come from a recent trip to the Getty (which I think trumps all museum gardens), it's rather small and there aren't too many places to sit and you can also hear the traffic from a busy road nearby which isn't exactly relaxing though perhaps it's worth it for all the Henry Moore that's out there. Overall, I'd prefer to stay inside looking at all the ballet dancers.
The only other slight negative comment I would have to make is that the museum guards are pretty hardcore. They hover around you in such a way that it makes you uncomfortable and it's hard to enjoy looking at anything with someone breathing down your neck. You kind of have to get pretty close to the paintings as the descriptions are all in small writing on a background the same color as the wall! Tip: make the info bigger and on a more contrasting background and then maybe people won't hover so close and everyone can be happier.
Very nice museum with a collection that really appealed to me personally. I'll definitely come back despite the scary guards!
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I do love the Norton Simon. I know we don't live in a land of wonderful museums ... we have the so-called mediocre museums. Given that, this museum is a wonderful show of great works in lil' ol Pasadena. Best part is students get in free :)
Norton Simon has some wonderful collections - my favorite being some of the South/Southeast Asian collections ... absolutely beautiful.
The Norton Simon is a great way to spend the afternoon... go walk lazily among the collections then head on outside to the gardens and grab a little coffee or bite to eat and enjoy the rest of your day.
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Ohh how i looove my "non expired" student id. *evil smirk* It gets me in the Norton Simon gratis. shhh... don't tell anyone!
I try to make it here whenever I get the chance..
The Norton Simon is spacious.
2 floors and an outside garden.
Free parking.
And an array of excellent art collection, picasso, diego, kandinsky, rembrandt, and so on.. (not that these are my fav. just the ones i can recall at this EXACT moment) ^^
Oh and of course their Asian and European permanent collection, i believe..
Dropped by 2 wks ago for the Wayne Thiebaud, Sweets & Treat Collection. Nothing to rave about..
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I love going to this museum, not only because it's free for students ($8.00 Adults), but because there is so much to see. The garden, the Asian and European Collections, and sometimes there is even a film. I also like that it doesn't get very crowded.
It's also walking distance from all the fun stuff on Colorado Blvd! So, you can either eat the OK food at the Museum, or walk down to all the yummy places on the Blvd afterward.
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Back some time ago when I worked in a salon on Huntington Drive in San Marino I used to visit the Norton Simon Museum of Art as often as possible. Working as a Stylist / oil painter I loved to get close to those painters I admired most. Standing around letting my imagination run I could study the strokes of the painters. And I would imagine the strokes under the final strokes right down to the bare canvas covered with rabbit skin glue and primed with lead white. Since this kind of art is really my passion you can understand my enjoyment and adventure wandering over and over again through the gallerys and halls of the Norton Simon.
I like the fact that this Museum is not too big, and not too small. It has an intimate and warm feeling to it. And the familiar faces, landsacapes, and abstract work welcomes you back each time with an affectionate almost audible silence. Here in a short time you can dance with the figures of Degas. You can walk down the hall of the impressionists. Meet Cezanne, Pablo Picasso,and Rembrandt on the other side. And finally at the west end of the museum let your breath be taken away by the large painting hanging high on the wall , a tribute to the human anatomy in angelic form, symbolic, pure and graceful painted in the mid 1700's by the Tiepolo family in Italy. These times at the Norton Simon only serve to inspire my own work as I remember spending so many hours in a small place with the giants in Art I love so much. James D.
2.27.09: Keeping your old college id comes in handy. Well today was that day when I stepped into this museum. The admission was free for students. I didn't really expect much of this place just because it looked really small and well how fantastic can this place actually be if no one ever mentions it really. Unlike the getty or lacma and all the others people talk about it constantly.
Anyhow I really was amazed with the exihibits and the garden that they have outside. Yeah its true its not a big place but it got what you exactly need. Some interesting paintings and collections of antiques from different countries and region.
I would come here again just to check what new exhibits they may have. They have their usualy van goghs, picasso and so forth.
fun, educational, and most of all free!
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My first visit back since writing my college art history paper a few years ago and, this time, I got to enjoy and really appreciate the art (now that the pressure of a good grade was off).
If you love modern... GO. If you love impressionism... GO. If you love the old masters... GO. If you love ancient antiquities... GO.
Or, if you just love a peaceful outdoor setting... GO. One of the pleasant moments was a stroll through the sculpture garden with a pond full of lily pads and flowers. On a Monday afternoon it was very serene and a perfect place to let your mind wander. Be sure to bring your camera.
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I've never really been an art buff (I like art just as much as the next person but I don't know hardly anything about it) but I really enjoyed myself at the Norton Simon Museum. It's a beautiful place, especially when you walk around the sculpture garden and the beautiful little lake. I ate at the Garden Cafe ($9 for a tasty sandwich but if you split it, it's the perfect portion) and it's really peaceful and serene to watch the ducks in the lake and take in the landscape.
They have a very large collection of artwork and sculptures, my favorite being those by Van Gogh. They have an extensive collection by Degas and I love the 19th century displays. It's free for students. You should definitely go at least once, especially if you're a first time museum-goer like me. :)
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I woke up craving Rodin. Don't ask me to explain it, I just did.
One tweet later and I have a friend's recommendation for this museum (because while the rec for the Stanford museum sounded amazing, I couldn't make that happen today and be home in time for dinner.)
Balzac, The Thinker, St. John and a handful of The Burghers... not bad for lil ol' Pasadena. All on the grass as you walk up to the main entrance (except The Thinker which is around the corner facing Colorado Blvd), and therefore all free (which is exactly what I can afford right now). Will return for the rest of the museum when I have another afternoon.
One warning: school field trips. I think I might try a weekend next time to see if the crowd is a little more...contained? restrained? not taking pictures of themselves posing as superheroes in front of the sculptures?
It's no Musee du Rodin, but it totally curbed my hunger, at least for today. I may be checking airfares to Paris later this evening.
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Given the economic turmoil we are all in, I have great news for you! If you are a student then admission to this museum is FREE. If you are no longer a student but still have your college I.D. from 2, 5, 10 years ago, you get in FREE too - they won't know the difference unless you received a sex change or something to that effect.
They own some of my favorite pieces by Diego Rivera, Picasso, and van Gogh here. They have a good collection of European art as well as a South Asia collection (many from Pakistan, Tibet, India and some from Cambodia) that consists of mainly religious sculptures, friezes, steeles and drawings. This section is located downstairs.
Diego Rivera:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Picasso:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Here is a photo of an Indian chess set. The Indians supposedly were the inventors of chess that the Europeans quickly adopted - bad ass!:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
If you don't have a college I.D., the admission is still very much affordable - under $10. The Norton Simon museum is located in a convenient area. After you admire fine art, you can walk or drive less than a mile away to Pasadena's famous outdoor shopping of Colorado.
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Rembrandt! Van Gogh! Rivera! Picasso!
I've taken many art classes and majority of them have required museum trips to the Norton Simon. I've been here so many times that I've lost count. Though every time I come here, there's something new for me to see. I absolutely LOVE Van Gogh's work. After viewing it so many times, it still never fails to amaze me how great of an artist he was. Photography is allowed, just make sure your flash is off.
If you've never been here, I'd say come and check it out. Their garden cafe is open Wednesday through Monday, 12:00 to 5:45 p.m., and Friday 12:00 to 7:00 p.m. It is closed Tuesday. Go outside have a beer or glass of wine while enjoying the garden and sculptures.
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I've only been here once but really liked it. The museum itself isn't that big, kind of cozy actually, and very easy to navigate. They also have a nice courtyard out back where you can chill around the water and drink a beverage.
If you haven't been to Norton Simon, I recommend spending a lazy day checking this place out. Depending on the exhibit it can be quite a bit of fun. The building itself is very cool and is laid out extremely well. Overall it's a very inexpensive way to spend a day looking at Van Gogh.
My husband found this place on yelp (insert applause)
It was pretty cool, we love love museums, this one was cool, and kinda big, they had some amazing pieces from like 2 million billion years ago... The sculpture garden was my favorite for so many reasons...
-It was full of green, the air was nice, considering its right next to the freeway.....
-It was much more peaceful out there, inside the measam people were pretty loud it was really busy.
- There were a lot of lizard buddies, ( I like animals)
-Lots of little tadpoles in the lily pond, (again with the animals)
- There was sculptures out there, nothing to insane, naked peeps all over the garden, pretty typical....
It was cool, we might go back again someday when we are old, and have forgotten that we have already been there... But, one of the BEST things about that place, other then the sculpture garden... FREE ADMISSION WITH STUDENT ID!
I'll never forget the very first time I went to the Norton Simon Museum. I was a student in college, taking art, and was required to visit and write a reflection. It is one thing to look in a book and see Van Gogh's paintings, it's another thing to see his paintings in person. You can see the brush strokes, the bold use of line and texture, almost feel the emotion in his work. My other favorite besides Rembrandt, is Henry Moore's statues. The Family is one of his most famous works and it's in the front of the museum. The lines and angles all blend together to show the love between each member of the family. There are great restaurants and shops near by to spend the day. A great place to visit.
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Hey it's free for students! I have no reason to complain there.
It's a small collection, but a darn good one. Picasso, tons of Degas, Rembrandt ...
it's a matter of quality not quantity.
And with the free-ness, hell I can even go there and sit out in the garden reading papers - or a fun book, yknow, when I don't have work ...
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FANTASTIC! Thats all I can say! It looks small but the amount of art inside is wonderful. They have alot of Degas, some Van Gogh, Indian and oriental art. Its just great!
Norton Simon Museum is very generous to students and kids and I'm glad our youth have access to history. It's also pretty good for adults at $8 a ticket. This place is filled with oils and sculptures. It's not a particularly large museum, but you can spend 3 hours here and be very satisfied. As I said before, the museum is filled with oils and that can get very monotonous. That would be why my favorite piece there was a 17th century pastel portrait of a guy that looked kind of drunk. My thought was "I would party with that guy."
The modern art gallery is a joy only because it's fun to discuss. One painting was simply 4 red squares inside each other. My friend, Chris, scolded me and told me to stop looking at it because it would only encourage more paintings like it. I got a kick when more people started standing beside me to look at this simple painting. Chris was not amused.
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SO classy! Then again, you can say that about most things around Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, cantcha?
The thing about Norton Simon, in my opinion, is although it's an art museum in a pretty bougie place, it's quite charming. And it may be a bit smaller compared places like LACMA or MOCA, but don't let that fool you-- the exhibits here pack quite a punch.
I came here recently for the Marcel Duchamp exhibit. The room it was in was tiny, but there was a healthy array of pieces from his career. Modest pieces, but interesting enough that it wasn't at all boring. Even a postcard of the famed LHOOQ/ Mona Lisa.
I will be honest and say that is the only exhibit that drew me to the museum, but I still wandered around and was very much pleased. There was another exhibit on WWII poster propaganda and big name art work in other rooms that I was unaware of being so close to! Diego Rivera pieces?? Gettouttahere.... I could easily spend 3-4 hours here.
Actually, I think I did.
I would have strolled through the sculpture garden more, but I was a tad chilly. There is also a cafe that people seemed to like, but I didn't get to try that out. I suppose I will save that for another day.
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This is an amazing museum. Not only is it designed by Frank Gehry, but Rodin is replicated and placed at the front entrance. The exhibit that I came to see was very small. Only one painting of Vermeer, but it led the pathway to all of the Dutch artist's that are on display at Norton Simon. They have two Rembrandt's, a few Chardin's, Greuze, Watteau (french artists in the same area as the Dutch) Poussin (french artist in the same area as the Dutch), several vanita's...etc. I walked through so fast that I don't remember if they have Jan Steen and Frans Hals.
In the impressionists, they have Degas, Van Gough, Picasso, Manet, Gaugin, Kandinsky..also I can't forget Diego Rivera and Goya (Goya in a different area). I saw these in a quick twenty minute walk through because I got there a half hour before closing and I had no idea that this museum offers so many familiar paintings that I've been studying this last semester in Art class. I mean, yes, I've been here on a few different occasions, but I never recognized any of the work. I wasn't educated in what I was looking at. But wow! What a cool museum.
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I love that it's free for students.
The outside gardens are amazingly pretty, too.
I always take out-of-LA visitors here, it's a great place to wow your fam.
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Nice art museum. Wife and I liked the Asian exhibits.
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I am an art historian so you need to listen to this:
Amazing art collection for such a small museum. Norton Simon was an actual man and had a fantastic eye for art. Not just any art, but important art. One of the finest Manet's I have ever seen in my life is at this museum. It literally stops people dead in their tracks.
The museum is a small collection and can be easily covered in one afternoon. It is very manageable for the irregular museum visitor and a pleasure for those who go to museums often.
There is a perfect late 19th century French art collection (Realism through Post-Impressionism). (Please note: I am totally biased since that is my area). Norton Simon has everything from Courbet to Boudin, Degas to the Nabis, Manet (ugh, perfection) to Morisot (again, ugh, perfect). In addition, there are some beautiful baroque paintings, some nice early Renaissance pieces (although not any later ones). There are Rembrandts!! There is a Goya!! They are really nice ones. I am not a "name-brand" type, but these are serious artworks.
The goal to appreciating art is understanding how it affects history, culture, and artists of later generations. There are many terrific artists in the world, with many terrific artworks, but the important ones are the ones who influence history. Norton Simon could recognize the artists and the important works. He really understood art. It is a joy to come to this museum.
There is an unrivaled Indian art collection at this museum. These sculptures and paintings are on the ground floor (descend a staircase to get to them). Although they are not what many may be used to, they are an experience and should not be missed.
Do not eat lunch here unless you plan not to go any where else in the area. The food is below mediocre and expensive. The garden is a nice place to sit, so maybe have a coffee or water. Go down the street (Colorado) to choose from a variety of better priced restaurants and more variety.
Perfect museum -- I have been to many through the U.S. and Europe; this one ranks at the top. All substance.
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I love this museum. I am glad this is so close, I love LACMA as well but all that traffic to see great works, I'll pass for now. I know the place ain't going anywhere but if there is a certain touring exhibit there that I want to see, I'll bite my lip and check it out but I digress. Norton Simon has some great collections from Picasso to Monet. There is even a gallery based from art that seem to come from the era of peace and love... I was nowhere close to being born yet but I can appericiate the works. Holy smokes these people really must have had either a bunch if sex or drugs to get these gnarly ideas or had a bunch of both to have these surreal concepts. I would come back,most definitely.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/11/2008
tickles my artistic goodies
it's free if you have your student id
they have some of the greatest… Read more »
I came here once with a friend for his photography class because they had a special photography exhibit going on at the time. I really don't remember much other than it's pretty decent compared to all the other museums I've been to, but not as large. I would rather go here than the Getty Villa for the art - for the architecture, that's another story.
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I may get stoned for not giving this place five stars, however, I feel that it doesn't quite compare with the LACMA in terms of collection and impact, but for it's size (much smaller than LACMA or the Getty Center), the Norton Simon Museum has great world famous artists in its portfolio in a more intimate setting.
The museum isn't too hard to navigate. You go left or you go right and you branch out in either direction again. Imagine a large letter "H" whereby the entrance is at the middle of the H...that's the shape of the place. There's a quaint botanical gardens in the back with a pond and a cafe if you need something to eat. There's also a store over to the right of the entrance. The lower levels hold Eastern art and sculptures and any special exhibits. There was a theater, but that area was closed off today.
I was most especially impressed with the price: Free. Free parking, free admission! (Me and my friend brought our college IDs). That is definitely the biggest reason to come here. It easily beats other museums in that regard.
I do feel that the exterior of the museum can undergo a slight face-lift. It's a little on the older side (looks kind of like an old community college, in my opinion), but the interior is great and up to date.
I highly recommend coming by here. It's also very conveniently located next to Paseo Colorado for shopping and dining and is the forefront site of the Tournament of Roses Parade every New Years Day.
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I'm gonna say this right now, I'm not much of an art guy.
I went here with my girlfriend, who had an assignment for her college art class, and I will say I was pretty intrigued by the collections they had here. Oh, and I was very pleased that students gain free admission. :)
While viewing various pieces, I was very surprised to see some of Van Gogh's artwork on display in such a small museum. It's very nice to freshen up the artistic and sophisticated side of me.
One thing that bothered me though was all the security guards. It made me feel uncomfortable. They also confiscated my water bottle, which made me a bit upset since I already dislike airport security and their banishment of water bottles. It didn't disrupt my appreciation of this museum however. I would recommend this museum to everyone, but I'm guessing art enthusiasts have already gone here countless times. :)
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