Unfortunately this museum has some very rude gallery attendant who was an old karen, they were there obviously due to museum don't want to pay fairly. Our 3 year old toddler who slipped on the marble floor and hit a wooden base of some statue, and got a lesson from us about running on slippery floor. after a while, my wife noticed this old lady who seemed to be following us for quite some time. We looked at her, and she was staring at us with a mean look. We asked her what can we help her, first thing she said he touched the base over there, I want to see what he's gonna do next. We thought this was unbelievable, instead of giving us a warning about no touching if you thought we deliberately touched something, she kept quiet and followed us like a ghost, and said something like that. Although we tried to explain this nicely, we didn't want to make a scene, we said he didn't mean to touch anything, but he was running and slipped and fell. Then she came back saying : Really?! We simply said, I'm sorry but we don't like to being watched and followed like that, we just started leaving the show room, a few feet behind us she added too bad that's my job!

Pros:Wonderful place for a date or a time to see the historic art. Free admission for students. Decent collection of artworks from modern to contemporary period.Parking could be better (best time to find parking is when they first open the doors) but the parking was not the reason for the two circle review.Cons:The security guards have an attitude. Had a sketching session stopped short since I was not in an area designated for sitting. Maybe it's time to add more benches? I didn't even touch anything, not even the sculptures!This was my third visit, and it was the worst one of all. First two in the last two-three months went with no problems. All I did was watch the artwork, never touched, and took pictures. The third visit was the first time I ventured into the sculptures section, which should not be a problem as it was outdoors and allowed the freedom to sit or stand and sketch what I saw.On another note, if you want classic era works you're better off going to the Getty Villa. Museum tends to be predominantly focused on modern art (1800s and later).Can't give them 4 circles, just two. It would've been three if the guards were not this big headed. It would've been four if they expanded their classical sculpture collection. LACMA will have a similar collection when they open their Geffen complex.This incident was a whole other level of bad. The Getty has been known to have security guards with attitudes, but I didn't expect this at the Norton Simon. I left the museum with a bitter experience.

The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena is celebrating its 50th anniversary and just had a weekend-long party. I'm old enough to remember when the museum was being built. It gets prime exposure every New Years Day during the Rose Parade, as it sits right on the corner of Colorado Blvd and Orange Grove, where the parade turns.It's a beautiful H-shaped building that houses industrialist Norton Simon's large collection of European and Southeast Asian art. The museum and its gorgeous Sculpture Garden have been improved and beautified over the past year.The museum offers free parking. Right at the entrance is Rodin's The Thinker bronze sculpture. The interior galleries are separated into 5 areas: European art 14th-16th centuries, 17th-18th centuries, 19th century and 20th century, plus South and Southeast Asian art downstairs. There's also a gallery downstairs for temporary exhibitions, currently Gold: Enduring Power, Sacred Craft. On the main level there is a theatre where they were doing live model sketching. There were also live music performances, a sitar player during my visit.Even an novice art-lover will find may recognizable artists here, including Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Picasso, Cezanne, Degas, Monet, Manet +. The Sculpture Garden has pieces interspersed along the peaceful paths, with a central pond. There is a cafe here, run by the Patina Group. An enriching, educational and beautiful Pasadena experience.

Fantastic. There was a free guided tour of the Degas exhibit which was led by an extremely knowledgeable educator, Elizabeth cavanaugh. Really well done. The museum is beautiful with the art displayed with appropriate lighting. Will be back when the outdoor sculpture garden is done. Thank you!

Extraordinary collection of priceless art. Blown away by the beauty of what I saw. Definitely worth a visit. Was in town on a business trip and went in to kill some time between events.