AN OVERWHELMING EXPERIENCE

Most people in LA think you have to go to Europe to see great works of art, not true. My friend Sariah and I visited the museum yesterday, Sunday and could not have been more surprised.

The gardens first of all are a work of art all on their own, they have been compared to Monet's Giverny outside Paris which I haven't seen yet but if they are as beautiful as Norton Simon that would be tough. For me I think the most surprising inclusion in the collection was one of the sculptures at the entrance, the one of Rodin’s Thinker. It’s so famous I never imagined I could see something like this on my doorstep in Los Angeles and I felt really privileged.

The museum opens at 12 noon and is very easy to find, just off Colorado Blvd. The collection of the Impressionists at the Norton Simon is breath-taking particularly for me as a dancer to see Edgar Degas’s famous bronze, The Little Dancer she’s so tiny but exquisite. I was also mesmerized by the number of works by Toulouse Lautrec an artist I was familiar with but had never seen for real before. I’m now a major fan.

He painted prostitutes and dancing girls of the famous Moulin Rouge in Paris and the pictures are wonderful, colourful and full of movement, expression and life. I also really enjoyed looking at some of the Dutch still lifes which were quite gruesome, yet captivating in a way. The dead rabbits and other animals were painted with so much detail amongst knives of shiny metal, fruit and food on basic kitchen slabs. They are presented in a long gallery with lots of seating which I liked as you could really take in the paintings without being cramped or rushed through.

The other works I was shocked to see in the collection were the Van Goghs particularly the Portrait of A Peasant which I recognised. It is a wonderful experience to actually stand and take in a piece of art, the real thing, when you've seen a print in a book or on a poster.

Like many other museums in LA you can become a member and pop in when ever for nada, the Norton is $65 for the year, a good deal I think. If you are strapped then visit for free the first Friday of the month between 6pm and 9pm.

Either way make sure to check out this wonderful museum. I've read many people say it's no Getty. Don't allow that to stop you sharing in this absolutely AMAZING collection and experience.