We at MASH magazine are not native Angelinos. Before we moved to this fair city, we liked to consider ourselves somewhat art savvy, if young. But we are embarrassed to say we'd never heard of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, CA. And let us tell you, Getty Center, Schmetty Center, The Norton Simon Museum is the shit.

The collection at the Norton Simon is truly remarkable, ranging from the 14th century to the 20th. They've got Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo masterpieces by Raphael, El Greco, Rubens, Rembrandt, Hals, and Tiepolo, as well as pieces from the 19th and 20th centuries including Goya, Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir, van Gogh, Cézanne, Rousseau and Picasso. And from other ports of call, the South Asian sculpture collection contains major examples from India, Nepal, Thailand and Cambodia.

Norton Simon (1907-1993) was the big boss of a huge corporation that included the likes of Hunt-Wesson Foods, McCalls Corporation, and Canada Dry. He began amassing his collection in the 1950s. After retiring from the business world in 1969 he pursued his varying interests.

Originally the Pasadena Art Institute--founded in 1924--the Museum became the Pasadena Art Museum in 1969. Simon came on the scene in 1974. Just this past October, the Museum underwent a $6.5 million remodeling of both the building and gardens. Acclaimed architect Frank O. Gehry has redesigned the Museum's 51,000 square feet of gallery space, while noted California landscape designer Nancy Goslee Power transformed the outdoor space into a new 79,000 square foot sculpture garden inspired by Claude Monet's Giverny, complete with a natural pond at its center.

The Norton Simon Museum is beautiful and if you're in LA it's a must see. The art on this page is just a taste of its vast and varied collection.

The Norton Simon Museum is located at 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA.

Degas' The Little Fourteen Year Old Dancer, 1878-81