Norton Simon Museum

I loved the museum and the event held at the Norton Simon Museum very festive. The tea tasting and sculpting was delightful and added to my experience. One of the staff members was not as friendly when asking people to leave. I would Highly recommend to anyone and any age group.

I went here with Debra R and Jose R a day ago. It had cool paintings and some pretty metal sculptures. I was not a fan of the Andy Warhol area. I got a pad of paper, pens and a mini metal thing at the gift shop.

I love this museum! :) It’s small n intimate… But the collection of art is quite impressive… The lighting is perfect n the ambiance is inviting… By far this is my favorite art museum in SoCal

An afternoon of Art within the Norton Simon Museum was a great experience.
Atmosphere:
We went on a Sunday so this place was mostly filled by non-​locals and overall it wasn’t too crowded. Plenty of art to look at and well spaced out. There are also statues and and outside area to enjoy the California sun.
Service:
The only thing that bothered me was the people who are in charge of watching over the art would somewhat leave their job and star chatting with another worker. Anyways it wasn’t that big of a deal to lose a star since everyone here was pretty friendly.
Art:
I don’t want to spoil anything here since maybe a lot of people would go to see find out for themselves I would just say that there are a variety of art collection that would spark interest to just about everyone.
Overall:
+ Great location, free parking.
+ People who are working are generally nice.
+ Plenty of art to look at.
+ Free for students who have an ID.
I would say if you are a tourist or even local this place is pretty great, spend sometime to enjoy some art!
Highly recommended.

Lovely cute museum. Not to far from where I live it was good to go to a museum rather than somewhere local in LA where I live. Finally ventured out to here and enjoyed the free parking and free admissions since I am a student. The interior is very clean and modern. I’m just happy that there are not that many people to the point where it’s crowded and you have to wait for people to finish looking at a painting. I looked at all the different centuries and different exhibits inside the museum. My favorite was the 15^th to 20^th century art exhibits of European art. Next time even without going for school I want to come again and enjoy the lovely garden outdoors. The location of the museum is very clean and well kept.

Smaller than the Getty but a lot more (mixture) of the masters… also limited on time to do the audio tour, so became a member, now i must come back.

More than the art itself, I fell in love with their outdoor garden. It has a huge pond filled with lily pads and flowers and is surrounded with statues and other art work. It also has a little café where you can get nice, cold drinks. OH! And if you’re a student, you get free admission!

Enjoyed my visit to this museum. They have european art on first floor. They have a nice variety of artists. Small section of contemporary. Beautiful garden with sculptures and café to enjoy coffee or snack. The lower level contains south and southeast asian art. Halls are very wide so you feel like there is plenty of room to navigate even when other visitors are around. Overall very nice experience although I didnt have a difficult finding parking it appears this could be challenging when very busy. Adults $ 12 and kids under 18 free.

The Norton Simon Museum is a Pasadena landmark, so much so that the Rose Parade goes by it. If you’ve watched the New Year’s Rose Parade, you’ve seen Norton Simon. Norton Simon was the first modern art museum between San Francisco and San Diego. It’s relatively small, and it’s a gem.
If you’re into Impressionists, this is the place. It was breathtaking to see real Van Gogh&Gaugin paintings after seeing the «Lust for Life» biopic with Kirk Douglas&Anthony Quinn. Degas’ ballet dancer is impressive to see in 3D; it does make an impression. You can learn to distinguish between Manet&Monet. There’s also an outdoor sculpture garden. A great place to spend a couple of hours in sunny Southern California.
The Norton Simon also has a splendid collection of Asian art. Dancing Shiva, the Buddha of the Future, erotic Tantric sculpture of Buddhas entwined with their consorts… this is the destination.
While it’s great that classics can be viewed online, it’s best to get up close&personal.

I AM ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE WITH NORTON SIMON MUSEUM! It is a most do when I am visiting my BF! Some of my most favorite artworks are housed here.
The atmosphere of NS is so relaxing. I feel like time stops for a while. The admission is price-​y, but I use my college ID card to get me in for free.
We always have to go see our favorite artworks right away. After that… we go check out the basement exhibition since it is constantly changing. The gardens are so peaceful to go for a short stroll in. They also have a café. The café is so over priced for what you get, so don’t waste your time and money. (That’s the reason for the four star rating.)
I really am in love with Norton Simon Museum and I already consider myself a regular.
P. S. Watch out for the cranky, old people in blue suits. :-)

Absolutely love this museum. There’s something to see with every turn, the staff are all friendly, you can take photos of the artwork w/​o flash (a plus for students!), easy parking and free with student ID (another plus!).
Beautiful collections, Asian and European art. Awesome that it’s so close to Old Pasadena so that you can make a day out of going to exhibits, shopping, and eating!

I hesitated to pay a visit to this art museum that’s literally a 10 minute drive away, because a friend of mine explicably told me that the museum collects things that would offend certain ethnic group. Finally, on a sunny morning, I worked up the courage and walked on in to journey through the beauty it has to offer.
There is a nice spacious parking lot attach to the establishment, and it is free of charge. The admission is $ 12 for adults, $ 9 for seniors 62+, free for 18 and under, free for students/​military personnels. They open late, I believe Monday, Wednesday, Thursday at noon, Friday through Sunday at 11am. It is closed on Tuesday.
It doesn’t look like a large building from afar, but the assemblage hidden inside is rather incredible. Many of the oil paintings reminded me of Musee de Louvre. My favorite is the St. Cecilia by Guido Reni. As an super amateur oil painter, the amount of detail and the soft blend of color is incomprehensible. I can admire it for hours. There are so many other great pieces on permanent display, if you haven’t done so already, please go have yourself a good time!
The gift shop has much to offer. Replicas of art work, books of art history, and small souvenirs for children. There is a small café and a botanic garden directly across from the main entrance, offers a fresh green break for sore eyes.
I don’t think I have been so satisfied with an art museum for quite some time. This is truly a hidden gem.

First Fridays of the month are free after 5pm, but get here early because parking is fairly limited. Since it’s on the outskirts of Old Town, you can still easily find street parking.
The museum itself has an impressive portfolio of artists, with many great recognizable pieces of art featured in art books all over.
There’s Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Pissaro, and van Gogh just to name a few.
There is an upper and lower floor, plus many outdoor sculpture areas. The upstairs is primarily European Arts while the downstairs is South East Asian art (primarily from India/​Thailand/​Cambodia).
My favorites were the South East Asian wing, but also the bevvy of Degas sculptures and paintings throughout. I really enjoyed the Degas section because I’ve always had a soft spot for the dancer subjects he loved so much.
On the non-​free days, I believe admission is $ 12 — which is a great price for the art you’ll see!

Great collection of art in a great space.
Especially enjoyed drinking hot tea whilst walking around outside in the sculpture garden.
My one complaint was that the security personnel were almost invasive and definitely distracting.
It was hard to enjoy the art work to the point of losing yourself in the beautiful because they were in too close proximity. Felt like they were in my «personal space» too often.
I’ve been in many museums across the U.S. And Europe and never had that type of feeling before.
Please back off and give the patrons some breathing room to enjoy this wonderful place.

Came here for Free Museum Day as advertised only to be greeted by a sign saying they weren’t participating and you had to pay. Totally chickens*it. Haven’t ever been and won’t ever come again.

Amazing collection, free for student and free parking nearby town center of Old Town Pasadena. I have not seen a museum of this grade so generous in giving back to the community!

WOW! I have to say that I was so impressed by this gem. As a fan of old school classic European art, I had no idea what treasures I would find at the Norton Simon. I initially planned the trip to see The Mulberry Tree which I’ve been drooling over the last couple of years and got a giant copy on canvas for my office. I felt like I needed to see it in person since it was practically in my backyard. What I didn’t know I was going to find was many well known pieces and many beautiful pieces of art by everyone you read about in art history classes. This was a treat.
We started our day with the 30 minute film which talks a bit about Norton Simon’s life and art collecting, but I have to say I wasn’t very impressed with the film. I think it’s time for a re-​do and to pick up the pace. From there we stopped at the café since we were starving. They only have pre-​made items and the selection is small but varied. Pricing is what you expect at a museum — sandwiches for $ 9+. But, the food was actually pretty tasty. No fountain drinks unfortunately, but overall it was okay.
Then we worked our way through the museum from the 14^th century through the 20^th century and it was a truly excellent afternoon. Not only did they have the Mulberry Tree, but several other nice Van Gogh paintings as well. Simon’s Degas collection is extensive and beautiful and we were super excited to run across a couple Toulouse Lautrecs! This museum has so many European masters: Rembrandt, Boticelli, Raphael, Rubens, Watteau and of course, the impressionists, which we are fans of. The more modern pieces in the 20^th century room aren’t really my favorites, but interesting to look at. There is also quite a bit of sculpture both inside out and outside.
Downstairs, is the area where Simon’s Asian art is on display. It’s quite an extensive collection, but not really where our interest lies, so we only viewed it quickly and partially. You’ll find a lot of bronze and stone. It’s very different and interesting.
We did the whole museum between 12 – 5. It is not large so you can see pretty much everything in a five hour period, depending on how much time you spend on each piece. Also, we wandered on our own versus using the audio tour that is available and from experience, I assume taking the audio tour would increase the amount of time needed to see this museum.
I loved it and recommend it!

A pleasant way to spend time viewing a vast collection of (mostly European) art.
A lot of the exhibits have remain unchanged for years. If you’ve studied European/​Western art from the Middle Ages and beyond, many of the famous artists featured will be familiar. There’s also a collection of traditional South and Southeast Asian Art.
There is a small hallway on the main floor and a very large space next to the Asian Art for traveling exhibitions. I came to an exhibit for Latin American Art and that was placed in the small hallway and it seemed like a little corner with not much breathing room. Having studied Latin American Art, I thought the collection felt like it was just placed there, just hanging out. I also went to a few exhibits in the large space — the most recent was for Fragonard’s. It seemed a bit out of place because you have to go through all the Asian Art. That exhibit was very large, and included a few activities for students to engage with the topic. Having also studied Fragonard’s art, I thought it was a beautiful collection with a variety of things to see and learn about the artist. From my experience, I wish the museum could put more resources and effort into non-​European exhibits.
Parking is free and plenty. Students get in for free. I forgot my student ID and the attendant at the front allowed me to show my school portal on my phone. I also like the garden a lot and it’s a good place to relax. The museum has a relaxing atmosphere and there are a lot of opportunities to learn and admire art.

If you’re a student, you get free admission which is a plus.
lots of parking.
many famous art pieces here and if you spend a couple hours here, you won’t be disappointed.

Great collection of art!
My husband took me here as part of my birthday itinerary. We both love the art forms!
Upon entry we were greeted by very informative museum staff. We paid the entrance fee which was $ 12. They directed us to the Asian exhibit down stairs as the exhibit will be moving out soon. It was beautiful! I grew up having to learn a lot about Asian studies and the collection they had was definitely right up my alley! I’ll post some photos…
Staff: We had our service animal with us (a small Shih tzu) and it was nice to be treated appropriately as we walked around the exhibit with her leashed up. It was pretty cool to see the Tibetan portion of the exhibit since Shih tzus were originally bred in Tibet.
One of the staff members offered to take our photo and even directed the shot. He even insisted on us taking a photo by the Van Gogh with our dog — cool dude!
We didn’t get to experience the garden since we were only to make a quick stop there. We plan to come back one of these days!
The place is well polished with a nice layout! They have elevators to accommodate wheelchairs.
Parking was free.
Check it out if you haven’t ;)

If you haven’t yet… You must! Norton Simon is, in terms of art, home to an excellent collection that is breathtaking, with paintings and sculptures from all the major periods, and artists such as Rubens, Degas, Van Gogh, Diego Rivera, and Pablo Picasso. On top of that, there is an amazing collection of ancient Buddhist and Hindu sculptures. It’s near Old Pasadena, an area of town with great shopping and restaurants. It’s free for students and cheap for everyone else.

If you hurry, you can see the two exhibitions downstairs before they come down. First you’ll see the Fragonard prints and drawings. Beautiful work! (of course) Then a smaller show that is about Blue. Blue? Did you ever wonder how or when or who discovered and mixed the first pigments? Well, it is a fascinating story and this exhibition tells it and demonstrates it with examples from its collection. If you can get there (through the Rose Parade debris) you’ll appreciate the effort.
(I’m not really a ‘fan’ of Simon, or Hammer, Getty, Huntington, or Broad. To my mind they are ‘cultural expropriators’ whose rapacity and greed is unmitigated by their «community service.»)

I love that this museum constantly offers free programs for kids. The museum is located in the wonderful city of Pasadena (about 20 min from my home) and provides free parking. With an adult paid admission your child can learn about Rembrandt then make a wonderful little self portrait. My sons and nephew really enjoy coming here and it gets them talking amongst each other about art.
Their website provides all the details needed to enjoy a family friendly afternoon. My four year old is able to enjoy the same activity as my eight year old. It’s a really nice location.

The Norton Simon Museum is a wonderful gem of Pasadena. (a city rich with gems). The City of Roses prominently features this marvelous museum during the Rose Parade every year, and for good reason.
For starters, the price is reasonable, at $ 12 a person, $ 9 for seniors, and free admission for students with an I.D.
The paintings are exquisite, and there is a great variety, with numerous time periods, styles, and the subject matter. Personally I found myself getting lost in the 14^th & 16^th Century European art, full of religious figures (many depictions of Jesus and Mary). It’s an exhibit flush with intriguing history and a bit of mystique.
On the other side of the hallway is the 17^th and 18^th century works, which include a number of great vistas, landscapes, and town squares. I personally love the dichotomy of these paintings when compared to their 14^th and 16^th century counterparts. The 14&16 tend to be more portraits, many of just a single person. The 17^th and 18^th century works have these wide sweeping vistas, and focus on great shading and lighting effects.
All in all, I would definitely recommend the Norton Simon. The outside grounds are a great escape from the monotony of painting after painting, and if you get peckish, the outdoor café has great food and drink options, including wine, beer, coffee, and a plentiful assortment of delicious food pairings.
Parking is also free, but I would caution against bringing little ones. I think kids under a certain age wouldn’t find this appealing for very long, and no one wants a screaming Sarah wandering the halls.

Kids under 18 are free! Worlds can you go to see van Goghs Monets Picassos that is down here in Southern California. Posters a lot to do in Pasadena, you’ve got parades there and it’s a nice location

This is a good way to spend an afternoon. There is free parking and admission is a reasonable $ 12 per person. We organized our visit around the free 30 minute introductory film that plays several times a day, and I recommend you do that too. Although I thought I knew a lot about the museum and the history of some of the pieces, this film contains a lot of new information and adds to the overall enjoyment of your visit.
There is a lot of wonderful stuff to see here, so it makes sense to pace yourself and plan on either eating before you arrive or planning a coffee/​snack break in the courtyard area at the snack bar.
My only real complaint is the security is overzealous. My wife was nearly swarmed when reaching towards a placard — not even a painting or a statue but a descriptive placard. And after reading through the other comments about the museum, that seems like a real problem here that they need to address. It’s just not a friendly experience. I do realize the works of art are extremely valuable, but other museums manage to find a way to be both protective and not complete thugs. The Norton Simon needs to do some re-​training right away to change what really appears to be an integral problem — people aren’t really enjoying their experience at the museum because of the staff.
Worth a visit? Yes. But not my favorite spot in LA for sure and some issues need to be corrected before I could recommend this to anyone except a serious art fan.

It is a remarkable collection… that’s for sure. It’s larger than I anticipated — so if you’re really into the older renaissance works or the European masters or Asian/​South Asian art, you should plan on spending several hours here.
It’s $ 12 a person to get in, and that’s fair. The facilities are nicely done and the grounds are lovely. There is an introductory film that plays regularly (it’s 30 minutes) and I strongly recommend you time your visit so you see the film first… it helps add a lot of context to the museum and the pieces. Really do make time for that.
So honestly, I like modern art and these pieces are not my cup of tea at all. All the topless ladies and (fully clothed) sickly looking men… I just don’t get it. But there are many who would see my adoration of squiggly lines and random boxes strewn about and say «don’t get it»… so different strokes, right? I CAN appreciate that this collection is no doubt priceless and it’s worth seeing even if you aren’t a passionate fan of the styles of work represented here. The Asian/​South Asian area downstairs does seem to get a bit cumbersome though… unless you’re a student or expert, after a while all those statues just start to look the same.
What I didn’t care for about this museum is the staff. We were looking at a piece and I reached out to point to the DESCRIPTION CARD — not the piece, but the freaking paper card that describes the piece — and one of the staffers rushed to me as if I was about to steal something and admonished me to NOT TOUCH THAT CARD. WTF? First, it’s the easily replaced card thing, not the piece or even the display case the piece was IN. But also, I’m a grown adult, not some child with dirty hands… That was way over the top. I’m sure those working at the museum are bored as hell standing around all these old paintings but that’s no excuse. And then we started noticing… we were sort of followed everywhere we went. The staff all looked miserable and frankly suspicious, as if any one of the visitors was planning some major heist. Everyone was followed and eyed with a deep suspicion and look of mistrust. I only saw ONE of the staffers smile the entire time we were there. Not in the least bit welcoming. I understand these things are expensive… but most of us know how to behave at a museum.
Or maybe not. After all, I DID touch the information card.
So… is it worth a visit? Yes, I think so. Free parking lot. Do watch that introductory movie (it’s free) so you’ll understand it all a bit more. There’s also a little snack bar area and a gift shop, but we were pretty worn out and skipped those. It is a big place even though it doesn’t appear that way, and there is a lot to see. And don’t freaking touch ANYTHING for the love of God.

My favorite fine art museum in Los Angeles. I am a member of LACMA yet prefer the Norton Simon as he either had great taste or an art advisor who had great taste.
Very high quality art even though the museum is small. Pleasant outside grounds with sculptures.
Special exhibits such as a Van Gogh are excellent.
Parking is easy.

A comprehensive collection from medieval time to modern art. It also has a beautiful garden. The foreign art section is also fun to walk around.
I will never grow tired of viewing their collections of Pablo Picasso, Pierre-​Auguste Renoir, Diego Rivera, and Rembrandt van Rijn,
If you are a student and have a student ID, you can visit the museum for free. Just show your student ID at the ticket window. If you visit the museum on the first Friday of every month, admission is free for everyone between the hours of 6pm and 9pm.
There are lots of lectures, performances, and films, especially during the summer. During summer evenings, I love taking a stroll through the sculpture garden. It is soothing and reinvigorating.
It just boggles the mind that the charming, hilarious and in every way phenomenal Tiepolo — The Triumph of Virtue and Nobility Over Ignorance — is there for all to see and enjoy right here in Pasedena. Other knockouts are a painting called Marine by Courbet. The Norton Simon and its beautiful treasures are a soothing, hopeful presence, like the San Gabriel Mountains to the north. I would give it six stars, at least.

It should go without saying that I just love museums. The silent portraits of history hanging on the wall, the sculptures and statues, waiting to be observed and admired. Hoping to inspire and illuminate each and every person strolling by.
For me, to truly appreciate each exhibition, I set aside at least half the day for my visit. This gives me time to read the information on the pieces that are of particular interest and or sit in front of a piece for awhile to take it all in. They have a small snack bar outside by the small pond, surrounded by shrubs and trees. Note; if you try to take in a water bottle, umbrella or any object they think might pose some sort of problem, it will be taken away from you, stored at the security desk then you are given a ticket to pick it up upon your departure.
The Norton Simon Museum, which comprises more than 11,000 objects, contains a significant permanent collection which is highly regarded internationally. The Norton Simon collections include: European paintings, sculptures, and tapestries; Asia sculptures, paintings, and woodblock prints; and sculpture gardens displaying many sculptors’ work in a landscape setting around a large pond. The museum contains the Norton Simon Theater which shows film programs daily, and hosts lectures, symposia, and dance and musical performances year-​round. The museum is located along the route of the Tournament of Rose’s Parade, where its distinctive, brown tile-​exterior can be seen in the background on TV.
Wikipedia
Walking through each exhibit my eyes travel around the room, taking in the whole view. Then deciding which direction to start my campaign, it begins. Each painting, sculpture and statue invokes something different to the viewer. So much to see, so little time.

Students please be sure to bing your ID so you can get in for FREE!!!
I love this museum. It is small and beautiful. They have lots of wonderful arts you can see and learn. If you go to the back, theres a pond and have different awesome statue you can take a look at. There’s also a mini café outside in the back if you just want to eat, sit, and relax. The staff member are very friendly. I really had a great time and is definitely going to come back here again.

As I’ve mentioned time and again, museums will almost always earn 5 stars in my book because there is so much to see and learn and experience from their collections. Granted much of these items were probably acquired by less-​than-​desirable means but what they have is still something to marvel at. It’s a double-​edged sword really.
Anyway, Norton Simon is smaller than most of the popular museums but its collection is substantial and noteworthy. They have a bit of everything. The amount of notable art they’ve collected suits the small space they have. It’s a perfect fit. I enjoyed their many Degas girls as well as the rich array of European tapestries. They’ve got varying pieces from the 14^th up to the 19^th centuries. You go in and out of each gallery, winding up or down the stairs, art everywhere you look.
There is a beautiful garden in the center of the structure where you can walk the short path around the pond on a sunny afternoon. You can get an iced coffee at the café and enjoy the view. I like the overall feel of the place. It’s perched on a hilly street, surrounded by big trees and the calming quiet that comes from an intimate space. I’d come back any day. They’re open 6 days a week, closed on Tuesdays. General admission is $ 12.