Main Entrance & Parking Area

Norton Simon’s love of Auguste Rodin’s work becomes evident even before visitors set foot on the Museum property, for the artist’s most iconic sculpture, The Thinker, sits prominently on the Museum’s southwest grounds, overlooking Colorado Boulevard and adjacent to a dramatic coral tree. After passing Barbara Hepworth’s powerful Four Square (Walk Through) in the Museum’s parking area, nestled amid a sea of germander shrubs, you will encounter seven more works by Rodin near the Museum’s entrance, including the monumental Burghers of Calais. The north corner of the front walkway is home to works by such 20th-century artists as Peter Voulkos, Richard Serra and Robert Rauschenberg. Trees found in the front garden include Mexican sycamores, and several goldenrain, jacaranda, crape myrtle, Canary Island pine and Tipuana tipu trees. 

Featured Sculptures: