Norton Simon Museum history

In April 1942, the Institute merged with the one-year-old Pasadena Museum of Art.

In 1948, Miss Nicholson died, bequeathing the Institute more than $40,000 in unrestricted funds.

A pivotal point in the history of the Pasadena Art Institute came in 1953, when it received a bequest of almost 500 artworks from the estate of Galka E. Scheyer.

In 1964, the Museum decided to expand its programs.

A new Pasadena Art Museum building was completed in 1969, designed by Pasadena architects Thornton Ladd and John Kelsey of the firm Ladd & Kelsey.

He was first approached for financial assistance in 1971 by trustees of the museum.

On March 1, 1973 it became the “Pasadena Museum of Modern Art.” Unfortunately, debts incurred during the new Museum construction were a persistent and insurmountable burden.

After several years of unsuccessfully trying to solve the Museum’s monetary problems, and faced with the prospect of bankruptcy and closure, the Trustees, in 1974, reached an agreement with Norton Simon.

After combining the Pasadena Art Museum and Norton Simon collections, it reopened on March 1, 1975.

Simon died in 1993, and the actress Jennifer Jones, his widow and chairwoman of the board, made corrective, conciliatory moves that have repositioned the museum and its two collections.

In 1995, the museum began a major $5 million renovation with the architect Frank Gehry, a longtime trustee of the museum.

The sculpture garden was remodeled by Nancy Goslee Power, and the renovation completed in 2000 when the Museum's Theater was remodeled by Arthur Gensler, Jr. & Associates.