Norton Simon Museum

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.

05/13/2026

Claude Monet gave this painting to his friend, a journalist named Antoine Lafont, who served as a witness at Monet’s marriage in June 1870. In the lower left corner is the inscription: “À son ami Lafont, 1870."

This brisk early seascape served as a sketch for a large-scale painting—now lost—that Monet exhibited in 1868 at the Salon, the annual state-sponsored exhibition of art in Paris. He likely painted it during a visit to his family at Le Havre, the Normandy port town where he had grown up, identifiable by the jetty and lighthouse at right.

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Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926), The Entrance to the Port of Le Havre (formerly The Entrance to the Port of Honfleur), 1867–1868, oil on canvas, Norton Simon Art Foundation

05/10/2026

This image of a goddess belonging to the Hindu pantheon portrays her both as a fierce protector and a nurturing mother. She holds a sword in one hand and a child, who tugs at her pearl necklace, in the other.

This , we give thanks to all mothers and mother figures who protect and nurture 💓.

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India, Uttar Pradesh, Mother Goddess with Child, c. 600, sandstone, Norton Simon Art Foundation

04/28/2026

What are your favorite details from this still life by Isaak Soreau? 🍒

A specialist in tabletop still lifes that feature fruits and flowers, Soreau arranged this luscious display to full advantage by tilting the table forward so that it is seen slightly from above. Every element is crisply and artfully portrayed, from the veined leaves, grapes and woven basket to the tiny water drop, the fly between two plums and the dragonfly aloft on a grape stem.

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Isaak Soreau (German, 1604-after 1645), Still Life with Fruits and Flowers, c. 1638, oil on panel, Norton Simon Art Foundation