SCHEDULE OF EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS
January, February, March 2014
Media Contact
Norton Simon Museum
Leslie Denk
411 West Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91105-1825
www.nortonsimon.org
(626) 449-6840
In this Issue
Director of Public Affairs
Phone: (626) 844-6941; Fax: (626) 844-6944
Email: [email protected]
Page
•
EXHIBITIONS................................................................................................................ 2–3
•
EVENTS CALENDAR ................................................................................................. 4–12
 Lectures ................................................................................................ 4
 Film......................................................................................................... 5
 A Night in Focus ................................................................................. 5
 Performance ........................................................................................ 6
 Adult Drawing Class ..................................................................... 6–7
 Adult Art-Making Workshop .............................................................7
 Afternoon Salons .......................................................................... 7–8
 Guided Tours ................................................................................. 8–9
 Family Events ................................................................................. 9–11
 Teen Arts Academy .......................................................................... 12
•
GENERAL MUSEUM INFORMATION.......................................................................... 13
NOTE: All information is subject to change. Please confirm before publishing.
EXHIBITIONS
OPENING
In the Land of Snow:
Buddhist Art of the Himalayas
March 28–August 25, 2014
In the Land of Snow is the Museum’s first large-scale exhibition of
Himalayan Buddhist art, bringing together exceptional Indian, Nepalese
and Tibetan Buddhist sculptures along with significant thangka (flat field)
paintings from throughout the Himalayan region. Almost all of the
Museum’s thangkas are on display for this special occasion. A highlight of
the exhibition is the display of a monumental thangka, measuring over 20
feet in height, depicting the Buddha of the Future, Maitreya, flanked by the
Eighth Dalai Lama, Jamphel Gyatso, and his tutor, Yongtsin Yeshe
Gyaltsen. Painted on silk and presented on an elaborate embroidered
mounting, the thangka was commissioned by the Eighth Dalai Lama for the
benefit of his tutor and for the posterity of the Buddhist faith. This is only the second time that this extraordinary
painting has been on view at the Museum.
CLOSING
Francisco de Goya y Lucientes’s Don Pedro, Duque de
Osuna, on Loan from The Frick Collection, New York
December 6, 2013–March 3, 2014
The Norton Simon Museum presents a special installation of the splendid
portrait of Don Pedro, Duque de Osuna, by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes
(1746–1828), on loan from The Frick Collection, New York. Painted
sometime in the 1790s, this large-scale painting elegantly portrays one of
Goya’s most important clients, and its installation at the Simon marks the
first time the painting has been on loan to a west coast institution. The
portrait joins the three other Goya paintings and one drawing on view in
the Museum’s permanent collection galleries. And to mark the occasion,
the Museum also presents a companion exhibition, Unflinching Vision:
Goya’s Rare Prints, which features exceptional examples from the Museum’s
substantive collection of Goya etchings and lithographs not regularly on view.
Norton Simon Museum
Winter 2014
2
Unflinching Vision: Goya’s Rare Prints
December 6, 2013–March 3, 2014
In celebration of the rare loan of The Frick Collection’s Don Pedro, Duque de
Osuna by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, the Norton Simon Museum
presents the exhibition Unflinching Vision: Goya’s Rare Prints. While the
majority of the artist’s prints were published posthumously, this exhibition
presents a selection of works that Goya himself worked on during his
lifetime. More than 30 working proofs, trial proofs and published prints
made under his supervision are on view, as well as a small selection of
posthumous examples from his later numbered editions. Together, these
artworks demonstrate Goya’s mastery of printmaking, and most
significantly, his care in meaningfully capturing the spirit of his time.
Beyond Brancusi: The Space of Sculpture
April 26, 2013–January 6, 2014
The Norton Simon Museum presents Beyond Brancusi: The Space of
Sculpture, an exhibition that examines how the great sculptors of the
20th century were influenced by Constantin Brancusi and his
groundbreaking use of space and material. Featuring 19 works from the
Museum’s renowned collection of post-war art, by sculptors as diverse as
Henry Moore, Isamu Noguchi, Barbara Hepworth, Donald Judd, Carl
Andre, John McCracken and Robert Irwin, the exhibition demonstrates
how sculpture moved from being a self-contained, three-dimensional object
to one that engages with its surrounding space. In a variety of ways and in a
variety of materials, including marble, wood, stainless steel, felt or
Plexiglas, the sculptures on view illustrate some of the most innovative
moments in art making in the latter half of the 20th century.
Image credits: Buddha and Adorants on the Cosmic Mountain, India: Kashmir, c. 700, Bronze with silver and copper inlay, The Norton Simon Foundation;
Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, Spanish, 1746–1828, Don Pedro, Duque de Osuna, c. 1790s, Oil on canvas, The Frick Collection, photo: Michael Bodycomb;
Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, Spanish, 1746–1828, Los Caprichos: The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, 1799, Etching, with watercolor, The Norton
Simon Foundation; Barbara Hepworth, English, 1903–1975, Duo, 1973, Marble, Norton Simon Art Foundation, © Bowness, Hepworth Estate
Norton Simon Museum
Winter 2014
3
EVENTS
Unless otherwise stated, all events are free with Museum admission, no reservations are necessary
and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and FREE
for members, students with ID and everyone age 18 and under. The first Friday of every month from
6:00 to 9:00 p.m. is FREE for all visitors. For select lectures and performances, stickering for
ensured seating starts one hour prior to the event. Members enjoy early seating.
LECTURES
Degas Through His Own Eyes: Failing Vision and Changing Styles in an
Aging Artist
Dr. Michael Marmor, Professor of Ophthalmology, Stanford University
Saturday, January 25, 4:00–5:00 p.m.
Over the last 40 years of his career, Edgar Degas’s vision became
progressively blurred, ultimately to the point where he would have been
declared legally blind. His pastels became rougher, although his blurred
vision smoothed over these “imperfections” in his own view. The Museum’s
collection of Degas bronzes shows a similar progression of style. The
famous Little Dancer has wonderful details, but late in Degas’s life, his sculptures became rougher, and
the details of face, hair and hands disappeared. Dr. Marmor reviews the problem of failing vision in
aging artists and poses the question of whether and how it was a factor in their late styles. By simulating
the defects of vision, Marmor sheds light on just what the artist could and could not see.
Presented in the Museum’s theater.
Dukes, Duchesses and Commoners: The Values of the Hispanic
Cultural Tradition in the Art of Francisco de Goya
Dr. Marcus B. Burke, Senior Curator, The Hispanic Society of America
Saturday, February 1, 4:00–5:00 p.m.
While the Spanish painter Goya is famous as one of the world’s first great
modern artists, he is equally celebrated as a quintessentially Spanish
master. Dr. Burke investigates the ways in which the values of Hispanic
culture are expressed in the visual arts, and how Goya both celebrated and
criticized these values in his works.
Presented in the Museum’s theater.
Image credits: Dr. Michael Marmor; Dr. Marcus B. Burke
Norton Simon Museum
Winter 2014
4
FILM
Blancanieves (2012)
Directed by Pablo Berger
Friday, January 17, 7:00–8:45 p.m.
In conjunction with Unflinching Vision: Goya’s Rare Prints, the Museum
presents Blancanieves, the Best Film winner of the 2013 Goya Awards,
Spain’s main national film award. Known in Spain as “los Premios Goya,”
the Goya Awards are named after the artist not only because he is a
notable representative of Spanish culture, but also because his visual
concept is very close to film. Blancanieves tells the story of the enchanting
daughter (played by Sofia Oria as a child and Macarena García as an adult)
of a famed matador (Daniel Giménez Cacho) who flees her wicked
stepmother (Maribel Verdú) to join a band of bullfighting dwarfs in a Spanish take on the Grimm
Brothers’ fairy tale “Snow White.” Upon learning what has become of her despised stepdaughter, the
diabolical stepmother prepares to administer a punishment that will break the defiant girl’s will for good.
Set in Seville in the 1920s, Blancanieves is a tribute to silent films.
105 min | Rated PG-13
Presented in the Museum’s theater.
A NIGHT IN FOCUS
Goya
Friday, February 14, 6:00–9:00 p.m.
Join us for a glorious evening looking at one of the world’s most revered
artists, Francisco de Goya. The evening begins with an overview by Chief
Curator Carol Togneri of the art of Goya in the Norton Simon’s collections,
with a spotlight on Don Pedro, Duque de Osuna, on loan from The Frick
Collection. Curator Leah Lehmbeck follows by speaking about the
exhibition Unflinching Vision: Goya’s Rare Prints, which demonstrates the
artist’s mastery of printmaking and his ability to represent the spirit of his
time. Offered throughout the evening are art-making activities that allow
artists of all ages to create original works of art. A special wine and tapas
menu is available at the café.
Image credits: Blancanieves © Cohen Media Group; Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, Spanish, 1746–1828, Los Caprichos: Nobody Knows Himself, c. 1799, Etching
with burnished aquatint, The Norton Simon Foundation
Norton Simon Museum
Winter 2014
5
PERFORMANCE
Soundscapes of Spain
The Odeum Guitar Duo
Friday, February 28, 4:00–5:00 p.m.
The music of Spain has been deeply influenced by Moorish melodic
and rhythmic elements. The light and shade of these musical
soundscapes are most perfectly represented through the voice of the
Spanish guitar. Spanish composers often created masterpieces to be
performed by instruments other than the guitar, but all the while, they
were trying to evoke the sounds and character of the guitar through
whatever instrument or combination of instruments they were
composing for. The Odeum Guitar Duo performs masterworks by Granados, Albéniz and other gifted
Spanish composers who used the guitar as the implied voice and divine inspiration for their music.
Presented in the Museum’s theater.
ADULT DRAWING CLASSES
Composition at the Norton Simon Museum
Study composition with artist Will Weston. Artists use underlying compositional devices to organize
elements in a painting and make them easier to read. Most of these devices go unnoticed by viewers
until they are pointed out, explained and practiced. Using the Museum’s collections, this workshop
teaches students to see and understand picture composition, and its role in providing mood,
atmosphere and narrative in paintings.
Understanding Basic Composition
Friday, February 28, 6:30–8:30 p.m.
Working in the Museum galleries, the first class addresses essential elements of composition through a
gallery tour. Afterward, students make marker studies of the basic compositional drivers from paintings
in the Museum’s collections.
The Uses of Italian and Sectional Perspective
Friday, March 7, 6:30–8:30 p.m.
Class participants discuss the strength and weaknesses of two
perspective systems, and how they are used together in picture
composition. After the lecture and a demonstration, students have
time to do simple perspective breakdowns from paintings in the
Museum’s collections.
Image credit: The Odeum Guitar Duo; Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (Italian, 1696–1770), The Triumph of Virtue and Nobility Over Ignorance, c. 1740–50, Oil on
canvas (Ceiling painted for the Palazzo Manin, Venice), The Norton Simon Foundation
Norton Simon Museum
Winter 2014
6
Color and Story in Composition
Friday, March 21, 6:30–8:30 p.m.
An examination of color strategies in composition and the types of content and narratives that are used
in picture-making is the focus of this class. Students take a brief tour of the gallery, with discussion of
the use of color in composition, story structures and additional compositional issues of interest.
Changing Compositional Strategies in the 19th Century
Friday, March 28, 6:30–8:30 p.m.
The final session presents a look at the influence of Japanese prints, the camera and changing social
structures on 19th-century art. Students complete the course by drawing sketches from the Museum’s
collections using what they have learned.
All levels of experience are welcome. Each class is $20 ($16 for members), and space is limited to
20 participants. All materials and admission to the galleries on the day of class are included.
Advance registration is required and can be made at nortonsimon.org/events.
ART-MAKING WORKSHOP
Using Contrast for Powerful Charcoal Drawings
Sunday, March 2, 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join artist Jesse Benson for a charcoal-drawing workshop held
in conjunction with the Museum’s exhibitions of work by Goya.
Goya’s masterpieces are remarkable studies in the use of
contrast. In this workshop, participants study contrast shifts in
Goya’s works and explore several charcoal techniques
designed to use contrast to produce powerful drawings.
The fee of $30 ($24 for members) includes all materials and admission to the galleries on the day of
class. Advance registration is required and can be made at nortonsimon.org/events.
AFTERNOON SALONS
Join a museum educator on select Sunday afternoons for a dynamic discussion of art.
Social Conscience: Goya and the 19th Century
Sunday, January 12, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Known as both the “last Old Master” and the “first modern artist,” Goya occupies a singular place in the
history of art. Consider the genius of Goya by examining the brilliance of his paintings and the critical
nature of his prints. Then discuss how Goya influenced the 19th-century artists by looking at works by
Courbet and Manet.
Image credit: Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, Spanish, 1746–1828, Los Proverbios - Los Disparates: Where There's a Will There's a Way: A Way of Flying: A
Way of Flying, 1864, Etching with aquatint, The Norton Simon Foundation
Norton Simon Museum
Winter 2014
7
What Makes Degas Modern?
Sunday, February 9, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Degas is typically regarded as an Impressionist painter, but throughout his career, he explored complex
aspects of tradition and modernity. Examine the modern approach in subject, technique, composition
and contemporary attitudes that link Degas with the 20th century.
Modern Rebels: The Invention of Modernist Painting, from Manet to
Cézanne to Picasso
Sunday, March 9, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Modernist artists sought to reinstate the medium’s primary condition: “the flat
surface, the shape of the support, the properties of the pigment.” The
pioneering, “modernist” character of Manet’s realist works, Cézanne’s postImpressionist paintings, and Picasso’s cubist canvases are the topic of
discussion. Consider to what extent these artists’ formal tendencies and
choices of subject matter constituted particularly modern practices.
GUIDED TOURS
Please note that space is limited to 25 participants. Sign up at the Information Desk no later than
15 minutes prior to the tour.
Highlights of the Collection
Friday, January 3, 6:00–7:00 p.m. and 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Goya and the Spanish Enlightenment
Saturday, January 4, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
A Focus on Art of the Baroque
Saturday, January 11, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
The Fashionable 18th Century
Saturday, January 18, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Chola Bronzes: Glory and Power of the Gods
Saturday, January 25, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
All About Form: Masterworks of Sculpture
Sunday, January 26, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Revolutionary Painting: A Dialogue between Modern Politics and
Modern Art (1789–1922)
Saturday, February 1, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Highlights of the Collection
Friday, February 7, 6:00–7:00 p.m. and 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Image credits: Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973), Woman with Mandolin, 1925, Oil on canvas, Norton Simon Museum, Museum Purchase, © 2013 Estate of
Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Reproduction; Marie-Louise-Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun (French, 1755–1842), Portrait of Theresa, Countess
Kinsky, 1793, Oil on canvas, Norton Simon Art Foundation
Norton Simon Museum
Winter 2014
8
One if by Land, Two if by Sea: Landscapes and Seascapes in the Norton Simon Museum
Saturday, February 8, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Repositioned: Changes in the 19th-Century Wing
Saturday, February 15, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Grand Tales: The Narrative in Art
Saturday, February 22, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Highlights of the Collection: Art of the 14th to 16th Centuries
Sunday, February 23, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
A Focus on Goya: Paintings and Prints
Saturday, March 1, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Norton Simon the Collector
Friday, March 7, 6:00–7:00 p.m. and 7:00–8:00 p.m.
The Development of Abstraction and Minimalism in 20th-Century Art
Saturday, March 8, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
All in a Day: Pictures of 17th-Century Dutch Art
Saturday, March 15, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Flights of Fancy: Depicting Movement or the Passage of Time
Saturday, March 22, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Highlights of the Collection: Looking at Italian Art
Saturday, March 29, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Portraying Ideals: A Study in Allegory and Symbolism
Sunday, March 30, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
YOUNG ARTISTS’ WORKSHOP
Infinite Line
Saturday, January 25, 12:30–2:30 p.m.
Paul Klee once stated, “A line is a dot that went for a walk.” Inspired by
this quotation, explore the Norton Simon collections and study the
various ways in which artists throughout history have used line, shape
and value to create their masterpieces. Then experiment with a variety
of drawing techniques to create your own masterpiece with artist Seda
Sevada.
This activity is designed for families with children ages 8–12. The course is free, and space is limited
to 20 participants. All materials are provided. Advance registration is required and can be made at
nortonsimon.org/events.
Image credits: Liubov Popova (Russian, 1889–1924), The Traveler, 1915, Oil on canvas, Norton Simon Art Foundation; Paul Klee (Swiss, 1879–1940), Possibilities
at Sea, 1932, Encaustic and sand on canvas, Norton Simon Museum, The Blue Four Galka Scheyer Collection, © 2013 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York /
VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn Reproduction
Norton Simon Museum
Winter 2014
9
FAMILY DAYS
Notable Accessories
Saturday, February 15, 1:00–3:00 p.m.
In Doña Francisca Vicenta Chollet y Caballero by, the splendor of Doña Francisca’s dress and
headpiece is nearly overshadowed by her dog’s flamboyant collar. Design your own accessories
inspired by the pair.
Meaningful and Decorative Frames
Saturday, March 8, 1:00–3:00 p.m.
Indian sculptures like Jina Ajitanatha and His Divine Assembly and Krishna
Fluting in Brindavan are often surrounded by elaborate framing devices. These
frames frequently depict part of a story, and are typically both decorative and
meaningful. Create your own sculptural frame as inspired by examples in the
Museum, and use it to frame pictures of your own choosing.
Recommended for families with children ages 4–10.
FAMILY ART NIGHTS
Exploring Portraiture
Friday, January 10, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
When Goya painted Don Pedro, Duque de Osuna, Don Pedro was known as one of Spain’s wealthiest
and most talented noblemen. He was also one of Goya’s most faithful patrons, and here the artist
shows him as a confident and intelligent man commanding both respect and admiration. Draw your own
portrait, keeping in mind what you would like people to know about your subject.
Assembling Landscapes
Friday, February 7, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Jacob van Ruisdael was one of the most famous Dutch landscape
painters of the 17th century. In Three Great Trees in a Mountainous
Landscape with a River, Ruisdael combines trees, hills and rivers
drawn from nature in a pleasing composition of his own invention.
Create your own landscape using elements from the landscape
paintings in the galleries.
Image credits: Jina Ajitanatha and His Divine Assembly, India: Gujarat, 1062, White marble with traces of pigment, Norton Simon Art Foundation, Gift of
Jennifer Jones Simon; Jacob van Ruisdael (Dutch, 1628/9–1682), Three Great Trees in a Mountainous Landscape with a River, c. 1665–70, Oil on canvas, The
Norton Simon Foundation
Norton Simon Museum
Winter 2014
10
Telling a Story in Pictures/Pictorial Narratives
Friday, March 21, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Both Jacopo Bassano’s The Flight into Egypt and Guariento di
Arpo’s Coronation of the Virgin Altarpiece use elements like
pattern, space and movement to tell a story in pictures. Join us
at the Museum as we create our own narrative art.
Recommended for families with children ages 6–10.
STORIES IN THE AFTERNOON
Creative Coloring
Sunday, January 5, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 26, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Artists like Monet ignored conventional notions of color and chose to paint what they saw in nature,
often with surprising results. Listen to a story about a little girl who learns this lesson for herself, and
then let it inspire your own creatively colored landscape.
Paintings in Dialogue
Sunday, February 2, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 23, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
What would it be like if characters from different paintings could interact? Listen
to a story about paintings interacting in a museum gallery, and then make up
your own story or picture about works of art in the Norton Simon galleries.
Perhaps Van Gogh’s Patience Escalier would like to take a walk in Monet’s
garden at Vétheuil, or Gauguin’s Tahitian woman and boy would like to dance
with Degas’s dancers at the Paris Opera. You decide!
Imagined Jungles
Sunday, March 2, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 30, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Henri Rousseau is known for his paintings of far-away landscapes and exotic animals, but he found his
inspiration at home in the local botanical gardens and zoo. Spend an afternoon in the galleries looking
at Rousseau’s Exotic Landscape and learning about his story. Then use your imagination to make your
own jungle scene.
Recommended for families with children ages 4–8.
Image credits: Jacopo Bassano (Jacopo da Ponte) (Italian, 1510–1592), The Flight into Egypt, c. 1544–45, Oil on canvas, Norton Simon Art Foundation; Paul
Gauguin (French, 1848–1903), Tahitian Woman and Boy, 1899, Oil on canvas, Norton Simon Art Foundation, Gift of Mr. Norton Simon
Norton Simon Museum
Winter 2014
11
TEEN ARTS ACADEMY
Exploring Color
Saturday, February 8, 1:00–4:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 9, 1:00–4:00 p.m.
Goya mastered value and tone to evoke powerful imagery through his
etchings and paintings. Spend a weekend with artist Sofia Mas developing
a technical understanding and application of color values and composition
through pencil and oil pastel drawings.
The two-day course is free, and space is limited to 18 participants. All
materials are provided. Advance registration is required and can be
made at nortonsimon.org /events.
Image credit: Teen Arts Academy student, photo by Ramona Trent
Norton Simon Museum
Winter 2014
12
GENERAL INFORMATION
LOCATION:
411 West Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91105
Located on the corner of Orange Grove and Colorado Boulevards at the
intersection of the Foothill 210 and Ventura 134 freeways. Parking is free.
HOURS:
Open every day except Tuesday, from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m.
to 9:00 p.m. on Friday.
HOLIDAY HOURS:
The Museum is closed on January 1.
ADMISSION:
$10.00 for adults; $7.00 for seniors; free for Museum members, students with
ID, and patrons 18 and under. The first Friday of every month from 6:00 p.m.
to 9:00 p.m. is free for all visitors.
CONTACT:
Call (626) 449-6840 or visit www.nortonsimon.org.
-###-
Norton Simon Museum
Winter 2014
13