[Photo credit: Norton Simon Museum]
The hour-long guided experience, led by a Museum Educator, will delve into the compelling stories behind Simon’s acquisition of world-renowned artworks that now grace the institution.
Simon, who was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1907 and graduated high school in San Francisco at age 16, transformed a $7,000 investment into the multinational corporation Norton Simon Inc.
His business empire grew to encompass Hunt-Wesson Foods, McCall’s Publishing, Saturday Review of Literature, Canada Dry Corporation, Max Factor cosmetics, and Avis Car Rental.
His remarkable transition into art collecting began in the 1950s with acquisitions of works by Impressionist masters, expanding to Old Masters and Modern works in the 1960s.
The businessman-turned-collector expanded his artistic interests dramatically in 1964 when his foundation acquired the entire remaining inventory of New York’s prestigious Duveen Brothers gallery.
Simon’s 1971 marriage to actress Jennifer Jones sparked a new collecting focus during their honeymoon trip to India, beginning with a Mughal ivory chess set.
Throughout his life, Simon served on numerous prestigious boards, including the University of California Board of Regents and the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.
In 1974, Simon wrote: “I am not essentially a religious person, but my feeling about a museum is that it can serve as a substitute for a house of worship. It is a place to respect man’s creativity and to sense a continuity with the past. It is a place to give us a feeling of the dignity of man and to help us to strive towards our own creativity and fulfillment.”
The upcoming tour is free with museum admission. Sign-up is required on a first come, first served basis at the Information Desk starting at 4. Only 20 spaces will be available.
For more information, visit https://www.nortonsimon.org/.
