Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach Boasts an Impressive Collection

Founded in 1941 by Ralph Hubbard Norton and Elizabeth Calhoun Norton, the Norton Museum of Art sits in a stunning Art Deco building in downtown West Palm Beach. The building, designed by Marion Sims Wyeth, holds more than 5,000 works of art that are part of the Norton Museum's excellent permanent collection.

The museum has expanded twice since it first opened in order to accommodate its ever-growing collection. In 1993, the museum conducted an extensive fundraising campaign which resulted in an addition that doubled the size of the existing museum. In 2003, the museum was expanded yet again when the Gail and Melvin Nessel Wing opened, adding an addition 14 galleries and an enclosed courtyard that was designed to host social and educational events. The new wing also holds a magnificent ceiling installation by well-known glass artist Dale Chihuly.

The permanent collection at the museum focuses on American, European, Chinese, and contemporary art as well as photography. The American collection centers on late 19th to mid 20th century pieces and includes about 1,200 works by Mary Cassatt, Charles Marion Russell, George Wesley Bellows, Stuart Davis, and Jackson Pollock. Examples from nearly all significant art movements during that time period are represented at the Norton Museum of Art.

Chinese Art has been displayed at this museum since day one and remains an important part of the collection. Visitors to the Chinese art exhibit will view a collection of prehistoric and archaic jades, bronze vessels of the Shang and Western Zhou dynasties, porcelains of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and much more.

The Norton Museum of Art's contemporary exhibit has grown tremendously over the last few decades. Today, it includes a number of pieces presented to the museum from a collection by Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Brownstone. Most are minimalist pieces and include the works of such artists as Allan MacCollum, John McCracken, Olivier Mosset, Jean-Pierre Raynaud, Gerhard Richter, and Edward Ruscha. Other well-known contemporary artists, like Andy Warhol, are also on display at the Norton.

The European Art collection ranges from about 1450 to 1950 and includes examples of all major genres of that time period. Featured artists include Peter Paul Rubens, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, and many others.

The museum also boasts an extensive collection of about 2,200 photographs ranging from the very early days of photography to current times. Photographers featured at the Norton Museum of Art include Henri Cartier-Bresson, August Sander, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Walker Evans, Mary Ellen Mark, Man Ray, Paul Strand and Manuel Alvarez Bravo.

The museum is also heavily involved in provenance research (tracing the background of a particular work of art from its inception) and has continually been lauded for bringing excellent temporary exhibits to the people of West Palm Beach and beyond.

Visitors may enjoy a self-guided tour of the museum or may take advantage of occasional specialized 30-minute tours that focus on a particular aspect of the Norton Museum. Lectures and gallery talks are available for adults and the museum also sponsors a number of programs for kids and families, including interactive tours and hands-on art projects.