Masterpieces of European Painting from the Norton Simon Museum
February 10 through May 10, 2009
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| Norton Winfred Simon, Norton Simon Museum Archives, Pasadena |
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Norton Winfred Simon (1907–1993) was born in Portland, Oregon. He was the eldest child and
only son of the businessman Myer Simon and his wife, Lillian
Glickman. In 1922 he moved to San Francisco with his father
and two sisters following his mother’s death the previous year; he graduated from high school there at age sixteen. Although Simon
enrolled in the University of California at Berkeley, he left after six
weeks to join his father in business. The young man’s entrepreneurial
spirit led him to Los Angeles, and by the age of twenty Norton
Simon owned his first business: a steel jobbing foundry. In 1933
he married Lucille Ellis, with whom he had two sons. Following
his father’s example of investing in financially troubled businesses,
Simon proved himself an imaginative entrepreneur.
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Norton Winfred Simon with paintings from his collection, Norton Simon Museum Archives, |
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Norton Simon’s wealth derived from numerous business ventures,
ranging from the creation of a sheet metal distribution company to
the triumphant revival of Hunt Foods, Inc., to the eventual formation
of Norton Simon Inc., a multi-industry conglomerate that comprised
companies such as Hunt-Wesson Foods, McCall’s Publishing,
Canada Dry Corp., Max Factor cosmetics, and Avis Car Rental.
In addition to his extensive commercial enterprises, Simon cared
greatly about educational issues and served on the University of
California Board of Regents, the Carnegie Commission on the Future
of Higher Education, and the board of the Institute for Advanced
Study, Princeton. His enthusiasm for cultural organizations led
him to become a trustee of the Los Angeles County Museum of
Art and the Los Angeles Music Center. In 1970 he competed in the
Republican Party primary for a seat in the United States Senate.
Although his bid was unsuccessful, Simon’s participation reveals his
wide range of interests. Perhaps the most cherished of his pursuits,
however, was his zealous collecting of art.
Principal funding for the exhibition is provided by Melvin R. Seiden in honor of Colin B. Bailey. Major corporate support is provided by Fiduciary Trust Company International. Additional support is generously provided by the Thaw Charitable Trust, Mr. and Mrs. John P. Birkelund, and an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. |
