Rodin’s The Thinker is only a mind-teasing overture to the full symphony of art in store at this exquisite museum. Norton Simon (1907–93) was an entrepreneur with a Midas touch and a passion for art who parlayed his millions into a respectable collection of Western art and Asian sculpture.
The accessible, user-friendly galleries teem with choice works by Rembrandt, Renoir, Raphael, Van Gogh, Botticelli and Picasso, as well as an outstanding array of paintings and sculpture by Degas. Asian sculpture is in the basement, while Western sculpture graces the gorgeous garden inspired by Monet’s garden at Giverny, France.
