[Photo credit: Norton Simon Museum]
The February 15 event marks a half-century since industrialist Norton Simon transformed the financially troubled Pasadena Art Museum into what would become one of the nation’s most distinguished private art collections.
Simon’s guiding philosophy — “respect for art comes out of looking more than reading” — shaped the institution’s trajectory from his 1974 assumption of management through its current status as a cultural cornerstone.
The museum’s journey began modestly in 1922 as the Pasadena Art Institute, operating from Carmelita Park’s Reed mansion, before a transformative 1953 acquisition of over 400 German Expressionist works from collector Galka E. Scheyer.
Under the dynamic leadership of curator Walter Hopps, the renamed Pasadena Art Museum emerged as a powerhouse of avant-garde art, hosting groundbreaking Pop art exhibitions and Marcel Duchamp retrospectives.
Simon’s own collecting journey evolved from initial acquisitions of Impressionist works by Degas, Renoir, and Cézanne to encompass Old Masters like Rembrandt and Raphael, alongside modern masters including Picasso and Van Gogh.
The museum’s strategic growth included the landmark 1964 acquisition of the Duveen Brothers’ inventory, building a collection that today encompasses over 12,000 works spanning European masterpieces, Asian sculptures, and postwar American art.
Following Simon’s death in 1993, his widow Jennifer Jones oversaw a transformative $5 million renovation by Frank Gehry (1995-1999), adding intimate galleries, Asian art floors, and a sculpture garden.
Recent decades have demonstrated the institution’s commitment to ethical stewardship, including the 2012 repatriation of a 10th-century Cambodian statue and the launch of a $14-million exterior modernization project.
The anniversary tour, limited to 20 participants, will provide unprecedented access to acquisition histories, conservation techniques, and curatorial decision-making that shaped the museum’s prestigious collection.
Museum educators will guide visitors through stories behind masterpieces including Raphael’s Madonna and Child with Book and Van Gogh’s Mulberry Tree, illuminating five decades of superlative artistic achievements.
Limited to 20 participants, the tour requires advance registration at the museum’s Information Desk when the museum opens, on a first-come, first-served basis. The event will take place at the Norton Simon Museum, 411 West Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena. Admission costs range from $15 to $20, and the tour begins at 1:00 p.m.
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