LABA Visits the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California

Danielle Nowak, Professor Lingyun Xiang, director/filmmaker Harrison Engle, artist Michael Janzen, TV host Joey Zhou, founder of the Los Angeles Beverly Arts (LABA), and Natalie Chen (Photo credit: Eugene Powers)

Pasadena, California, USA. 28th March, 2026. The Los Angeles Beverly Arts (LABA) organized a visit to the Norton Simon Museum for artist Michael Janzen, a 2026 LABA Icon Award recipient, and his wife, Danielle Nowak, who were visiting from Canada. Located in Pasadena, the Norton Simon Museum is regarded as one of the premier art museums in the United States and one of Southern California’s most important cultural institutions. Among the 12,000 pieces in the museum’s collection are paintings by Raphael, Rembrandt, Goya, Degas, Renoir, Gauguin, Courbet, Modigliani, Picasso, and Vincent Van Gogh, along with notable sculptures by Auguste Rodin. Attendees included TV host Joey Zhou, LABA founder, director/filmmaker and LABA Board member Harrison Engle, LABA advisor and 2025 LABA Icon Award recipient Professor Lingyun Xiang, and his assistant Natalie Chen.

TV host Joey Zhou, founder of LABA, with a self-portrait by Rembrandt (Photo credit: Eugene Powers)

Norton Simon (1907-1993) was a successful industrialist, philanthropist, and a master collector of fine art. In 1929, at the start of the Great Depression, Simon invested $7,000 in a struggling juice bottling company and eventually turned the investment into the highly prosperous Hunt Foods, Inc. Through strategy, mergers, and acquisitions, he built his company Norton Simon Inc., into a multi-industry enterprise that included many well-known brands such as Saturday Review of Literature, Canada Dry Corporation, Max Factor cosmetics, and Avis Car Rental.

Danielle Nowak and artist Michael Janzen (Photo credit: Eugene Powers)

Norton Simon's accomplishments in business were matched by his achievements as an art collector, and in a period of 30 years, he amassed what is widely regarded as one of the world's most significant private art collections. In 1974, Norton Simon assumed management of the Pasadena Art Museum, taking on its debts and financial obligations, and in return was able to use gallery space to display his collection. Under Simon’s leadership, the museum became known for its exceptional collection of European paintings, Asian art, sculpture, and modern masterpieces. The museum later reopened under his ownership and was renamed the Norton Simon Museum in 1975.

Professor Lingyun Xiang (Photo credit: Eugene Powers)

During the visit to the Norton Simon Museum, the LABA team spent a considerable amount of time before the works of the renowned artists, pausing to take photos, and admiring the art. Joey Zhou showed particular fascination with the Rembrandt works, especially Rembrandt's self-portraits, while Professor Xiang was impressed by the classical oil paintings, especially the large-scale paintings from Ancient Rome. All were captivated by Vincent van Gogh's paintings, especially Michael Janzen, who was very knowledgeable about his works.

Michael Janzen shared his thoughts and impressions of the museum:

"My wife, Danielle Nowak, and I were excited to be invited to visit the Norton Simon Museum for the first time. I had heard of this fine art collection but knew little about its holdings. It was a beautiful day, blue sky with lofty cirrus cloud formations, surrounded by the clarity of the Pasadena mountains. We walked through the lush greenery entrance passing by numerous monumental Rodin bronzes, revealed in bright sunlight. These numerous monumental sculptures included The Thinker, The Burghers of Calais and Balzac.

Artist Michael Janzen and director/filmmaker Harrison Engle with Family Group by Henry Moore (Photo credit: Eugene Powers)

As we entered the museum’s foyer my attention immediately was drawn to the life size Family Group bronze by Henry Moore, who encouraged and advised me in my formative years as an artist. I immediately recognized that this shared experience of this great sculpture was a moment that compressed time, space and matter that enlarged my sense of family with LABA. I was powerfully pulled into the first gallery room to the left by the brilliant Portrait of a Peasant, painted by Vincent Van Gogh, at his best, in Arles, southern France. Professor Lingyun Xiang pointed out to me his favourite Van Gogh, titled the Mulberry Tree, a painting full of light, driven by colour, intensely circulating energy, expressing his appreciation of life. It’s a loving portrait of a lone tree, separate from the forest of others, like Vincent’s lonely personal life but nonetheless profoundly connected to humanity. It was a soulful moment between Professor Lingyun Xiang and myself that I shall never forget.

Artist Michael Janzen and Professor Lingyun Xiang with Mulberry Tree by Van Gogh (Photo credit: Eugene Powers)

Out of the corner of my eye I recognized Vincent’s very own mother, a tender loving portrait he painted for himself from a black and white photograph, while he was away painting the universe in Arles. This unique and intimate painting cries out for his longing to see his mother and Holland once again; to calm down and restore himself but his early passing two years later prevented his return to his homeland. In this work Vincent doesn’t represent a literal background but rather he paints a green surround that he refers to as what halos represented in historical paintings. This green aura is an extension of his own mother’s character and essence. In my opinion the artist has also applied to his mother the colour of growth that at the same time suggests something of Mother Earth, the universal mother. Van Gogh’s mother contributed to Vincent’s early creative growth when he was a boy by way of her own watercolour painting and the encouragement she gave her young son, the prodigy, to draw which led the way to modern art and modern life itself.

Artist Michael Janzen with portrait by Vincent van Gogh of his mother (Photo credit: Eugene Powers)

Vincent also painted himself a year later titled Self Portrait Without Beard, which is in a private collection, painting it for his mother which he sent to her. For the occasion of this artwork he proceeded to shave off his beard and turning to the mirror to hide his damaged ear to make himself more presentable. For Vincent this painted self-portrait was a substitute as if it were photographic proof that he was doing better, attempting to reduce his mother’s worries about her son’s hardships and threatened health. This portrait, like the portrait of his mother, is also intimate in size and as well has a green aura around Vincent, the vibration of flourishing growth and health.

Artist Michael Janzen with Rembrandt's Portrait of a Young Boy (Photo credit: Eugene Powers)

Some other inspirational highlights of the museum were Rembrandt’s penetrating psychological self-portrait and another of his beloved young son, the artworks by Gauguin, Lautrec, Matisse, Picasso and so many more master artists. For myself and Danielle this first visit was an enlightening soulful peek, to be later revisited for more revelations of the masterworks in the collection of the magnificent Norton Simon Museum."

Artist Michael Janzen, Natalie Chen, TV host Joey Zhou, founder of the Los Angeles Beverly Arts (LABA), director/filmmaker Harrison Engle, Danielle Nowak, and Professor Lingyun Xiang (Photo credit: Eugene Powers)

The members of the group posed for photos alongside many of the significant masterpieces, enjoying the opportunity to see them close up for the first time. When asked about her impressions of the museum, Natalie Chen remarked, “Van Gogh once said he would willingly give up twenty years of his life just to see a painting by Rembrandt. After seeing Rembrandt’s magnificent mastery of light, shadow, and technique here today, I feel as though I’ve gained twenty years of my life!”

Natalie Chen (Photo credit: Eugene Powers)

About the Norton Simon Museum

The Norton Simon Museum houses one of the world’s most extensive private art collections. Over three decades, industrialist Norton Simon (1907–1993) assembled an extraordinary group of European masterpieces, spanning the Renaissance through the 20th century, and a distinguished collection of South and Southeast Asian art covering more than 2,000 years. Modern works from Europe and the United States that were acquired by the former Pasadena Art Museum, also significant and occupy an important place in the Museum’s holdings. www.nortonsimon.org

Norton Simon Museum

411 West Colorado Boulevard

Pasadena, California 91105

Article contributors: Harrison Engle, Michael Janzen, and Professor Lingyun Xiang

Please click on MDSUN logo for special discount

The Beverly Arts News is sponsored by Art Hearts Fashion, Crab Grabber, ISEGSTAR, Token Works, World Peace One, MDSUN, XAVVI, Shennel Trading, InLight Foundation, Cynthia Clarté, Jiannan Huang Art Institute, Galaxy Community, Liu Chun Art Studio in Beverly, and The Beverly Arts Foundation