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Ongoing Exhibits: Museums

Norton Simon Museum

Published on Thursday, June 4, 2009 | 11:05 am
 

The Norton Simon Museum is known around the world as one of the most remarkable private art collections ever assembled. Over a thirty-year period 20th-century industrialist Norton Simon (1907–1993) amassed an astonishing collection of European art from the Renaissance to the 20th century and a stellar collection of South and Southeast Asian art spanning 2,000 years.

Among the most celebrated works he collected are Branchini Madonna, 1427, by Giovanni di Paolo; Madonna and Child with Book, c. 1502-03, by Raphael; Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Rose, 1633, by Francisco de Zurbarán; Portrait of a Boy, c. 1655-60, by Rembrandt van Rijn; Mulberry Tree, 1889, by Vincent van Gogh; Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, 1878-81, by Edgar Degas; and Woman with a Book, 1932, by Pablo Picasso. Highlights from the Asian collection include the bronze sculptures Buddha Shakyamuni, c. 550, India: Bihar, Gupta period, and Shiva as King of Dance, c. 1000, India: Tamil Nadu; and the gilt bronze Indra, 13th century, Nepal.

Current exhibits:

Ingres’s ‘Comtesse d’Haussonville’ from The Frick Collection: This portrait of the comtesse, a young woman known as Louise, Princess de Broglie (1818–1882), is the first loan from the Frick in an art exchange program between the venerable New York institution and the Norton Simon foundations. Comtesse d’Haussonville will be on view at the Museum through January 25, 2010.

Divine Demons: Wrathful Deities of Buddhist Art: As embodiments of the “demonic divine,” wrathful deities serve as protectors and guardians of the Buddhist faith. Mahakala is an especially fierce deity who militantly tramples a figure that represents obstacles. Resplendently adorned with a tiara of skulls, writhing snakes and a multitude of spiritual weapons, he is one of the most important protectors of the religion. Hayagriva has three faces, each with a wicked expression, and he is depicted with three horse heads emerging from his flame–like hair. A defender deity, Hayagriva is able to control snakes by his neighing; he tramples on serpents and vanquishes them. On exhibit through March 8, 2010.

The Familiar Face: Portrait Prints by Rembrandt: Rembrandt van Rijn’s skill and reputation as a painter of portraits, particularly those of the merchants and burghers of Amsterdam, is well known. But the artist’s etched prints also have a place and purpose in recording the visages of his contemporaries. A skilled, innovative printmaker, Rembrandt embraced etching as a means of expression and experimentation. The Familiar Face: Portrait Prints by Rembrandt features 15 etchings of the personalities who sat for the artist, along with several self-portraits. On exhibit through March 22, 2010.

Gaze: Portraiture after Ingres: About the time of Ingres’s immense memorial exhibition in 1867, portraiture had reached its apogee in France. Able to bask in the momentary political stability under Napoleon III, the bourgeoisie flaunted their nimiety as portrayals of the well-heeled and well-to-do flooded the annual Salon. Théodore Duret, a prominent Parisian critic and champion of the Impressionists, remarked that portraits were “the triumph of bourgeois art.” Whether the glut of portraiture was understood to be good or bad, there were advantages on both sides of the canvas: artists were able to command high prices, and sitters were able to position themselves among the elite. On exhibit through April 5, 2010.

Norton Simon Museum.

411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. (626) 449-6840. Website: www.nortonsimon.org
Open: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from noon until 6:00 p.m. Fridays, from noon until 9:00 p.m. Closed Tuesdays. Cost:  Adults, $8.00.  Seniors (aged 62 years and above), $4.00.  Visitors under 18 years of age and Students with valid identification, free.

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