Van Gogh and Picasso are local

In honor of Smithsonian Magazine's 6th Annual Museum Day, I went to the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach and brought my parents along with me.

The Norton is the perfect museum for art lovers and non-lovers alike  It's small, but still has some impressive works.  Everyone leaves happy, the art lovers got to see some cool pieces and the non-lovers didn't waste an entire day aimlessly wandering the corridors.

What drew me to the museum and helped convince my father to join, was one of Vincent van Gogh's self-portraits.  It is on temporary display from the National Gallery of Art.

Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait, 1889, oil on canvas

It is one of at least 36 self-portraits.  If you think that's a lot, think about this: van Gogh did not start painting until he was in his late 20's and he committed suicide at the age of 37.  In those years he created over 2,000 works of art, which means at the very least, he was producing 200 pieces a year.

This painting will be on display at the Norton Museum of Art until Feb. 8, 2011.

In their permanent collection, the Norton has multiple paintings by Spanish cubism artist, Pablo Picasso.  Tete de Femme is my favorite at the museum, oddly enough due to the lack of color.  The whites, grays and black are striking and stand out more to me than his more colorful pieces.

Pablo Picasso, Tete de Femme

This painting is always on display and I'd suggest taking a look at it.  You make like it, or you may have similar feelings to my dad's.  On our way back to the car he said,

"You know what I think?  That Picasso crap is so overrated."

That is coming from the same man who walked into a museum in Florence, Italy, home of the Renaissance, and said,

"I am so sick of this Madonna and baby Jesus stuff.  Who actually likes this?  They all look the same.  I'll be waiting on the bench over there." 

Museum Hours

Tuesday - Saturday - 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday - 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Second Thursday of each month - 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Closed Mondays and on major holidays

•  $12 for adults
•  $5 for visitors ages 13-21
•  Free for Members and children under 13.
•  $10 for Adult Group Tours 
•  Free for School Group Tours 
•  Every Saturday, admission to the Norton Collection only is free for residents of West Palm    Beach, with proof of residency. 
• The first Saturday of each month, admission to the Norton Collection only is free for residents of Palm Beach County, with proof of residency.