Norton Simon
The Norton Simon Museum is a private non-profit art museum in Pasadena, California, operating a single site with a 12,000-object collection spanning European and South/Southeast Asian art. It serves individual visitors, members, and school groups through admissions, six-tier membership, retail, café, and exhibitions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersPasadena, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Norton Simon does
The Norton Simon Museum is a private non-profit 501(c)(3) art museum located at 411 W. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, California. Founded in 1975 after industrialist Norton Simon (1907-1993) assumed responsibility for the Pasadena Art Museum in 1974, the institution houses a collection of approximately 12,000 objects assembled over a 30-year period. The collection spans European paintings and sculpture from the Renaissance to the 20th century, American painting and sculpture, and South and Southeast Asian art spanning over 2,500 years. Notable holdings include the only Raphael painting on the West Coast, three Rembrandt portraits, six Van Gogh paintings, 885 works by Picasso, nearly 1,400 works by Goya (the largest collection of Goya in the museum), and over 100 works by Degas.
The museum operates a single physical site with supporting digital infrastructure, including a searchable collection database of 12,000 objects, an online ticketing platform, an e-commerce store (store.nortonsimon.org), and an award-winning audio tour accessible via personal mobile devices covering approximately 400 artworks in English and Spanish plus a Children's Tour of approximately 35 artworks. Additional on-site assets include the Nancy Goslee Power-designed Sculpture Garden (currently undergoing a 2025 Exterior Improvement Project) and the Garden Café operated by the Patina Restaurant Group.
The business model combines multiple revenue streams: admission fees ($20 adults / $15 seniors, with extensive free admission categories), a six-tier annual membership program (Teacher $60 through Benefactor $1,100, with prices increased effective January 1, 2026), Museum Store retail (on-site and online), Garden Café concession-style F&B, and rights/reproductions licensing for image use. The museum serves individual visitors, school groups (free guided tours for grades 5-12), members and donors, and the broader Southern California public through exhibitions, lectures, films, performances, tours, and educational programming. The institution is governed as part of the Norton Simon Entities (comprising the museum, Norton Simon Art Foundation, and The Norton Simon Foundation) under a Board of Trustees chaired by Norton Simon's widow, Jennifer Jones Simon.
Norton Simon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Norton Simon
- Legal name
- Norton Simon Museum
- Website
- https://nortonsimon.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Norton Simon Museum is a private non-profit art museum in Pasadena, California, operating a single site with a 12,000-object collection spanning European and South/Southeast Asian art. It serves individual visitors, members, and school groups through admissions, six-tier membership, retail, café, and exhibitions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Norton Simon industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Art Museum
- NAICS
- Museums (712110), Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art Museums (THAJADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)
Keywords
Where Norton Simon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pasadena
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Norton Simon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Admission Fees: The museum charges admission fees for general entry: $20 for adults, $15 for seniors (62+). Free admission is provided to members, children 18 and under, students with valid ID, active military, museum colleagues, AAM and ICOM members, media, EBT card holders, legally blind visitors, and caregivers accompanying visitors with disabilities. Free admission is also offered the first Friday of each month from 4:00-7:00 p.m.
- Membership Dues: Annual membership program with six tiers: Teacher ($60), Participating ($100), Supporting ($190), Sponsoring ($325), Patron ($600), and Benefactor ($1,100). Membership prices increased on January 1, 2026. Benefits include free admission, discounts at the store and café, newsletter subscription, early event seating, invitations to members-only tours, and increasing guest passes and exclusive items at higher tiers.
- Museum Store Retail: The Museum Store operates during museum hours (closing 15 minutes before museum closing) and online at store.nortonsimon.org. Offers museum-produced merchandise including books, prints, totes, and cards. Members receive 20% discount.
- Garden Café: The Garden Café is operated by the Patina Restaurant Group and offers salads, sandwiches, snacks, and beverages. Located in the sculpture garden overlooking the pond. Members receive 10% discount. Open during museum hours.
- Rights and Reproductions: Image reproduction permissions granted for scholarly or arts-related commercial use. Processing time up to four weeks. Approved requests receive contracts detailing fees and conditions. Complimentary copy of published material must be provided to the museum.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Adult General Admission |
| Subscription | Annual | Teacher Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Participating Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Supporting Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Sponsoring Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Patron Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Benefactor Membership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Norton Simon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Norton Simon Museum is a single-location art museum in Pasadena, California that provides public access to a permanent collection of approximately 12,000 objects spanning European painting and sculpture from the Renaissance to the 20th century and South and Southeast Asian art across 2,000 years. The core visitor experience includes gallery access, the Sculpture Garden designed by Nancy Goslee Power, and rotating special exhibitions. It generates revenue through paid admissions ($20 adults, $15 seniors), a six-tier annual membership program, Museum Store sales (on-site and online), and the on-site Garden Café operated by Patina Restaurant Group.
Product overview
The Norton Simon Museum is a single-location art museum in Pasadena, California, offering public access to its permanent collection of approximately 12,000 objects spanning European art from the Renaissance to the 20th century and South/Southeast Asian art spanning 2,000 years. The museum's core offering is the physical museum experience, including gallery access, the Sculpture Garden, and rotating exhibitions. Additional services include an Audio Tour (available in English and Spanish via smartphone), a tiered Museum Membership Program with six levels, the Museum Store (both on-site and online), the Garden Café operated by Patina Restaurant Group, Guided School Tours, Private Tours, Accessibility Services (wheelchairs, assisted listening devices, ASL interpretation), and a Digital Exhibitions program. The museum generates revenue through admission fees ($20 adults, $15 seniors), membership dues, café sales, and store merchandise.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Norton Simon Museum (Gallery Access)
- Sculpture Garden
Companies that use Norton Simon
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Norton Simon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Norton Simon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Patina Restaurant GroupcoreThe Patina Restaurant Group operates the Garden Café at the Norton Simon Museum. The café offers a range of salads, sandwiches, snacks, and beverages with a kid-friendly menu. Located in a grove of tulip trees overlooking the sculpture garden pond, the café closes 15 minutes before museum closing. The museum receives 10% discount for members at the café.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Norton Simon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA): California-based art museum with a paid-admission, membership-driven model. Comparable visitor experience and marketing approach, though focused on modern and contemporary art rather than masterworks.
- The Broad: Downtown Los Angeles contemporary art museum with free general admission. Draws tourists and locals that overlap with the Norton Simon audience and competes for the LA cultural visitation pie.
Direct peers
- San Diego Museum of Art: Regional art museum with comparable European, American, and Asian collections and a paid-admission model. Closely comparable in scale, mission, and revenue structure to Norton Simon.
- The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens: Southern California cultural institution with European art, gardens, and a tiered membership model. Comparable visitor base in the greater LA region and shares the museum-plus-garden experiential format.
- The Phillips Collection: Washington, D.C. art museum founded on a private collector's holdings, with a similar intimate scale and Impressionist/Post-Impressionist focus. Closely comparable in collection origin story and operating model.
Broad incumbents
- The Getty Center: Major Los Angeles art institution with European paintings, drawings, and decorative arts. Targets similar visitors and competes for the same regional cultural tourism and donor base, though it is significantly larger and free to the public.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Global incumbent with European paintings, Degas, and Asian sculpture holdings comparable to Norton Simon's. Different geography and scale, but competes for traveling exhibitions, donors, and academic prestige.
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA): Large encyclopedic art museum serving the same Los Angeles market. Overlaps with Norton Simon's European, American, and Asian holdings and competes for visitors, members, and corporate partnerships.
- Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (de Young & Legion of Honor): Encyclopedic art museums with strong European and American holdings. Comparable to Norton Simon in collection scope and museum-membership business model, though operating on a larger San Francisco footprint.
- National Gallery of Art: Major encyclopedic art museum with European masterworks and Asian sculpture holdings that overlap with Norton Simon's collection. Comparable in curatorial mission and exhibition programming, though free admission and federally supported.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Norton Simon social profiles
Digital presenceNorton Simon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Norton Simon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Norton Simon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Norton Simon M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Norton Simon
What does Norton Simon do?
The Norton Simon Museum is a single-location art museum in Pasadena, California that provides public access to a permanent collection of approximately 12,000 objects spanning European painting and sculpture from the Renaissance to the 20th century and South and Southeast Asian art across 2,000 years. The core visitor experience includes gallery access, the Sculpture Garden designed by Nancy Goslee Power, and rotating special exhibitions. It generates revenue through paid admissions ($20 adults, $15 seniors), a six-tier annual membership program, Museum Store sales (on-site and online), and the on-site Garden Café operated by Patina Restaurant Group.
Is Norton Simon a public or private company?
Norton Simon is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Norton Simon founded?
Norton Simon was founded in 1975. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Norton Simon based?
Norton Simon is headquartered in Pasadena, United States, in the North America region.
How does Norton Simon make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Admission Fees are the primary driver. The others are membership Dues, museum Store Retail, garden Café and rights and Reproductions.
Who are Norton Simon's main competitors?
Regional players on record are San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and The Broad. Direct peers are San Diego Museum of Art, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens and The Phillips Collection. Broad incumbents are The Getty Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (de Young & Legion of Honor) and National Gallery of Art.
Does Norton Simon have an API?
No public API is recorded for Norton Simon.
What industry is Norton Simon in?
Norton Simon's product category is Art Museum. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAA, Art Museums, with a secondary code of BPAGAHAA, Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty). Its NAICS code is 712110 and its SIC code is 7990.