Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena will open its doors free to the public Nov. 7-9 to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
The three-day event features live music and art-making activities. Visitors can explore two special exhibitions: “Gold: Enduring Power, Sacred Craft” and “Retrospect: 50 Years at the Norton Simon Museum.”
The museum is waiving admission fees for the weekend celebration. All activities are designed for visitors of all ages.
No reservations are required. Events begin Friday and continue through Sunday at the museum, located at 411 W. Colorado Blvd.
The museum opened in 1975 after industrialist Norton Simon assumed leadership of the financially troubled Pasadena Museum of Modern Art. His vast “museum without walls” – artworks previously on loan to institutions worldwide – finally assembled within permanent walls.
Simon built one of the world’s greatest private art collections over 30 years. He began collecting in the 1950s with works by Degas, Renoir, Gauguin and Cézanne.
His collection expanded in the 1960s to include Old Masters, Impressionists and Modern works. Following his 1971 marriage to actress Jennifer Jones, Simon discovered South Asian art during their honeymoon in India.
The businessman-turned-collector had previously built Norton Simon Inc., a multinational corporation. His holdings included Hunt-Wesson Foods, Max Factor cosmetics and Canada Dry Corporation.
Simon described museums as places to respect human creativity and sense continuity with the past. He died in 1993.
Activities meet in the Entrance Gallery. For more information, visit nortonsimon.org.
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