Norton Simon Museum From Home | Encounters with the Collection: Vigée-Lebrun

Sit down and enjoy some art-related activities courtesy of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena

October 26, 2020

We continue our series of videos on women artists in the Norton Simon collections with a probing account of the life and career of Elisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun. Head of Education Michelle Brenner explores the artist’s early training and professional success, her friendship with the infamous queen Marie Antoinette, and how she rebuilt her career after the French Revolution. The artist’s arresting portrait of Theresia, Countess Kinsky, painted in Vienna in 1793, now graces the Museum’s 18th-century art wing. | WATCH

Meditative Moments: Bee Breath Meditation

Consider how artist Elisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun and the Countess Kinsky overcame many obstacles and hardships in their lives, then take a moment to reflect on any challenges that you are facing. Bring a sense of calm to your mind using the practice of bhramari pranayama (Sanskrit for “bee breath”). | MEDITATE

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DIY Stories in the Afternoon: Cornell & Lali’s Feather

While the Museum is closed, we are pairing some of our favorite children’s books with works from our collection for you to explore with your child at home. Don’t have access to the recommended book? Just select something similar from your child’s book shelf or your local library.

This week, explore the magic of found objects in Farhana Zia’s Lali’s Feather and Joseph Cornell’s Hotel du Nord (Little Dürer), and create your own masterpiece using items sourced in and around your home. | READ AND WRITE

What We’re Reading: Seeing Our Own Reflection in the Birth of the Self-Portrait

Writes Director of External Affairs Leslie Denk, “Albrecht Dürer’s self-portrait from 1500 is a painting that stops you in your tracks—it is such an intriguing and strikingly modern image. Through high-resolution photography and an easy to scroll web platform, the New York Times and its writer Jason Farago have created an absorbing look at this self-portrait, one of the earliest of its kind, and painted when the artist was just 28 years old.” | READ

In our Online Store: 2021 Calendars

Welcome in the New Year with an artful calendar in a variety of sizes and themes, ranging from cats in art and Japanese woodblock prints to antique maps and the artwork of the Nabis. | SHOP