Amid beautiful gardens inspired by Monet's Giverny, this somewhat drab, boxy museum (built in 1969) had its interior spruced up by Frank Gehry in the late '90s. Inside, there's a treasure trove of European paintings from the 14th to the 20th century and a dazzling collection of Asian art. Degas is well represented, as is Picasso, and there's a fantastic series of French Impressionist galleries....
Two thousand years of art tucked into one city block.:
In Short
Located on Old Town Pasadena's western edge, this venerable art collection is one of the best-known in SoCal and among the finest in the world. Thanks to a major redesign in 1999...
Named for a food-packing king and financier who reorganized the failing Pasadena Museum of Modern Art, the Norton Simon displays one of the finest private collections of European, American, and Asian art in the world (and yet another feather in the cap of architect Frank Gehry, who redesigned the interior space). Comprehensive collections of masterpieces by Degas, Picasso, Rembrandt, and Goya...