Norton Simon Museum

06/16/2026

Do you prefer sculpture or painting? 🤔

Seated at a wooden table, a blind man uses his hands to explore a carved head, while a painting beside him goes unnoticed. By depicting the sense of touch in this way, Jusepe de Ribera engaged in a long-standing debate over the merits of sculpture versus painting.

Sculpture was considered the most accessible of the arts, since it could be understood through touch and vision. In his naturalistic rendering of the sculpture, however, Ribera also made a case for the virtuosity of painting. The artist used paint to create effects of texture and weight, emphasizing the man’s wrinkled hands supporting the heavy bust. Through vision, the painting appeals to the sense of touch, inviting viewers to imagine the sculpture’s smooth contours under their own fingertips.

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Jusepe de Ribera (Spanish, 1591–1652), The Sense of Touch, c. 1615–16, oil on canvas, The Norton Simon Foundation

06/12/2026

Thanks so much to everyone who came out for our May Golden Hour: Music in the Garden! 🌞🎷✏️🥂

Join us again on Friday, June 26, from 4:30–6:30 p.m. for our next Golden Hour with the Verbena String Quartet.

06/10/2026

Happy birthday to Gustave Courbet, in 1819! 🍎🍐🍂

In a letter from 1872, Courbet’s sister Zoë described this picture as “a large painting, a dozen pears, apples, etc., heaped pleasingly on a table . . . Gustave is enchanted with it. He says that he never achieved such gracious effects of color.”

This remarkable still life is considered one of Courbet’s finest. He describes with poignant sensuality the irregular form, the scarred, lustrous skin of each fruit. But the painting is more than an exercise in “gracious effects of color”: In the lower right corner, Courbet signed and dated the work, adding “Sainte-Pélagie,” the name of the prison where he was held in 1871 after taking part in the Paris Commune.

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Gustave Courbet (French, 1819–1877), Apples, Pears, and Primroses on a Table, 1871–1872, oil on canvas, Norton Simon Art Foundation

06/04/2026

Love fresh flowers at home? 💐

Henri Fantin-Latour was best known for his floral still lifes. This bouquet—likely picked from his own garden—captures blooms just starting to wilt in the heat. His technique in pictures like this one follows an academic standard of finish, but the artist maintained close ties with Manet and the Impressionist avant-garde.

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Henri Fantin-Latour (French, 1836–1904), White and Pink Mallows in a Vase, 1895, oil on canvas, Norton Simon Art Foundation

05/31/2026

Happy Vesak! commemorates the birth, enlightenment and passing (Parinirvana) of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. In the lunar month of Vaisakha, Buddhists celebrate Vesak by making offerings to the Buddha and giving alms to those in need. Rice paper lanterns and giant pandals light up the night sky to pay homage to the wisdom of the Buddha.

At the lower left of this synoptic depiction, the baby prince is being born from the hip of Queen Maya. The central Buddha indicates the moment of Enlightenment with his earth-touching (Bhumisparsha) pose. Parinirvana is depicted with the reclining Buddha at the top of the stele.

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Eight Miraculous Events of the Buddha’s Life, Burma, 13th century, wood with pigment and gilding, The Norton Simon Foundation

05/30/2026

What are your plans for the weekend?

You might take inspiration from Pater’s “Fête Champêtre,” which captures the pleasure of a day spent outdoors. Men, women and children gather to talk, play music and enjoy the beauty around them. Its soft palette and graceful composition give the scene a warm, airy, and dreamlike charm.

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Jean-Baptiste Pater (French, 1695-1736), Fete Champetre, c. 1730, oil on canvas, The Norton Simon Foundation

05/18/2026

🎶 Golden Hour returns to the Sculpture Garden this season! On select Fridays in May through August, stop by the Museum for a casual and creative music-centered afternoon. Enjoy live music, purchase light bites and beverages from the Garden Café, pick up drawing supplies and find a spot to relax in the newly renovated garden.

📅 Fridays, May 29, June 26, July 31 and Aug 28
🕐 4:30–6:30 p.m.
🎟️ Free with Museum admission
🗒️ Seating in the Garden Café and lawn is first come, first served

Learn more using the link in bio or nortonsimon.org/goldenhour.

05/14/2026

“In showcasing personal correspondence and Modernist artworks — including eight rare portraits of Scheyer — the exhibition casts a light on the friendships she built with her artists, the circle she gathered around her and the work and willpower it took to bring radical European Modernism to the United States.”

Learn more about the woman featured in “Dear Little Friend: Impressions of Galka Scheyer,” in an interview with curator Gloria Williams Sander in the The New York Times.

Although Galka Scheyer might be an unfamiliar name, the artists she championed have become famous. An exhibition in Pasadena brings her to the foreground.