Pasadena and San Marino

Yesterday’s excursions first took us to Pasadena, to visit the remarkable Norton Simon Museum. This collection has treasures by old masters such as Rembrandt, Rubens and many more, and Impressionist and Post-Impressionist treasures by Manet, Monet, Van Gogh and Gauguin. The collection claims to have the best collection of these later styles in Southern California. After we left wealthy Pasadena we headed to the equally posh town of San Marino, home to the vast Huntington. This is a combination Library, Art Collection and Botanical Gardens. Even by walking from one part of the art collections to another, one was able to see parts of the magnificent gardens. In the original mansion of the railroad tycoon Henry Huntington and his wife one sees their Gilded Age taste: portraits from 18th century England, including the famed “Blue Boy” by Gainsborough. Another aspect of Arabella Huntington’s collection included numerous pieces of French rococo furniture and decorative objets d’art. Also on the grounds of the Huntington is a separate museum of American art, including fine works by Heade, the landscape painters of the Hudson River School and some representative works by Hopper and others. Tonight, for our last night in Hollywood, we are dining at Katsuya Restaurant and then going to see the popular musical “Book of Mormon” which is playing at the nearby famed old Pantages Theater near Hollywood Blvd and Vine. This was the theater where the Academy Awards were first held, and its ornate decoration is another past relic from the ‘golden age’ of Hollywood. –Dan

Photos: Norton Simon Museum; Van Gogh at Norton Simon; Huntington Art Gallery and a Vermeer-Like painting by a 20th century American artist.