50 Years: A Golden Anniversary Weekend Celebration
Friday, November 7–Sunday, November 9, 2025
Celebrate 50 years of the Norton Simon Museum! Join us for a weekend full of live music, art-making activities and more, plus the exhibitions Gold: Enduring Power, Sacred Craft and Retrospect: 50 Years at the Norton Simon Museum.
Free museum admission all weekend!
Reserve your free admission ticket for one or all three days.
Parking Information
Limited free parking is available at the Museum and at the Elks Lodge parking lot, located across the street from the Museum at 400 W. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105. Ridesharing or public transportation is encouraged. Transportation details can be found here.
Schedule of Events
Friday, November 7
Museum Hours: 12:00–7:00 p.m.; last entry at 6:45 p.m.
Special Exhibitions
Community Engagement Wall: Celebrate 50 years with us and share your memories
Live Music in the Galleries
- 1:00–3:00 p.m. Keyboardist Matt Politano
- 4:00–6:30 p.m. Harpist Lily Press
Drop-in Drawing: Live Model Sketch in the Theater
- 1:00–3:00 p.m.
- 4:00–6:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 8
Museum Hours: 12:00–7:00 p.m.; last entry at 6:45 p.m.
Special Exhibitions
Community Engagement Wall: Celebrate 50 years with us and share your memories
Live Music in the Galleries
- 1:00–3:00 p.m. Keyboardist Matt Politano
- 4:00–6:30 p.m. Violist Niv Ashkenazi and bassoonist Leah Kohn
Drop-in Drawing: Live Model Sketch in the Theater
- 1:00–3:00 p.m.
- 3:30–5:30 p.m.
Photobooth: Takeaway a memory from our golden anniversary
- 12:00–5:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 9
Museum Hours: 12:00–5:00 p.m.; last entry at 4:45 p.m.
Special Exhibitions
Community Engagement Wall: Celebrate 50 years with us and share your memories
Live Music in the Galleries
- 12:00–2:00 p.m. Sitarist Sahar Farooqui Khundmiri
- 2:30–4:30 p.m. Sitarist Miles Tanner
Drop-in Drawing: Live Model Sketch in the Theater
- 12:00–2:00 p.m.
- 2:30–4:30 p.m.
Photobooth: Takeaway a memory from our golden anniversary
- 12:00–4:00 p.m.
Special Exhibitions
Asia: Nepal, Tara, 14th century, gilt-copper alloy with semiprecious stones and pigment, The Norton Simon Foundation; Giovanni di Paolo (Italian, 1403–1482), Branchini Madonna, 1427, tempera and gold leaf on panel, The Norton Simon Foundation; George Herms (American, b. 1935), For the Corner Pass, 1962, collage of paper, foil, ink and feathers on paper, Norton Simon Museum, Gift of the Artist © George Herms
Gold: Enduring Power, Sacred Craft
On view through February 16, 2026
Lower-level exhibition wing
Gold: Enduring Power, Sacred Craft explores the artistic and cultural significance of gold in approximately 60 works of art drawn from across the Museum’s collections, which encompass South and Southeast Asia, Europe, North Africa and North America. Sculptures, paintings, jewelry, tapestries and photography that span from 1000 BCE to the 20th century will be displayed together for the first time, revealing unexpected intersections in the circulation, craft and meaning of gold across time and place. Presented on the occasion of the Museum’s 50th anniversary, a milestone traditionally associated with this metal, the exhibition invites a fresh examination of gold as an artistic medium.
Installation view of Retrospect
Retrospect: 50 Years at the Norton Simon Museum
On view through January 12, 2026
Focus Gallery
Retrospect: 50 Years at the Norton Simon Museum features rarely seen archival photographs, documents and works of art, providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the Museum’s operations and contributions to art, education and community over the past five decades. The exhibition begins with the institution’s name change in 1975, shortly after Norton Simon assumed managements of the Pasadena Art Museum. Rare archival photos showcasing the installation of Simon’s collections and early gallery views, along with a timeline highlighting key acquisitions and exhibitions, will reveal significant and lesser-known aspects of the collections. Additionally, the exhibition documents the evolution of the Museum’s campus, detailing renovations from its early years through the late 1990s, a period marked by growth, extended hours, enhanced scholarship and increased community engagement.