European Painting and Sculpture

The Norton Simon Museum’s collection of European paintings and sculpture is among the most distinguished in North America. It spans the Renaissance to the 20th century and includes the finest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist pictures on the West Coast. From intimate oil paintings to gold-ground altarpieces, the 15th-century European collection represents both North and South. Pictures by Botticelli, Giorgione and Raphael contribute to rich 16th-century Italian holdings. Baroque highlights of the 17th century include Zurbarán’s magisterial Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Rose and three portraits by Rembrandt. The Museum’s 18th-century collection ranges from Grand Tour views by Canaletto to Rococo decorations by Fragonard. Penetrating portraits by Goya, Ingres and Vigée-Lebrun round out the assembly of Old Masters.

A superb Impressionist collection includes pictures by Manet, Monet and Renoir. Degas alone is represented by more than 100 works. Among the Museum’s 20th-century highlights are paintings by Picasso, Matisse and Kandinsky, as well as strong German Expressionist holdings. Modern European sculptures—from Rodin to Hepworth—are displayed in both galleries and gardens.