One of the best art museums in Southern California, and far less crowded than the Getty or LACMA. The collection spans seven centuries of European art — Rembrandt, Raphael, Botticelli — alongside one of the finest holdings of South and Southeast Asian sculpture in the United States. The Degas bronzes alone are worth the trip. Outside, a tranquil sculpture garden wraps around a reflecting pool modeled on Monet's Giverny.
Norton Simon Museum
World-class European and Asian art collection, quieter alternative to the Getty
| Address | 411 W Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105 |
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A story
Norton Simon spent three decades personally acquiring the collection, buying at auction and directly from dealers with singular focus. He purchased Rembrandt's 'Portrait of a Boy' in 1965, outbidding every major museum in the world. His greatest coup, by his own assessment, was acquiring the complete Degas bronze series — 72 casts — in a single transaction in 1976.