The 12,000-piece collection -- which is the preeminent art collection in the West -- includes Renaissance, Old Master and Modern paintings by a wide range of stellar artists; exquisite sculpture from South Asia, shown to remarkable advantage; a display of 14 paintings and pastels by Edgar Degas, plus 36 bronzes posthumously cast directly from his original waxes. Even a room largely dedicated to some fine examples of postwar art made in L.A.
Prized piece: The stark but limpid "Still Life With Lemons, Oranges and a Rose" by Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664) is among the Simon's most prized and celebrated possessions -- a signature work for the museum.
Related venue / performance space:
Norton Simon Museum Theater


