Things to Do
Norton Museum of Art
The Norton Museum of Art was founded in 1941 by Ralph Hubbard Norton (1875-1953) and his wife Elizabeth Calhoun Norton (1881-1947). Norton was an industrialist who headed the Acme Steel Company in Chicago. He and his wife began collecting to decorate their home, but then he became interested in art for its own sake and formed a sizable collection of paintings and sculpture. In 1935, Mr. Norton semi-retired, and the couple began to spend more time in the Palm Beaches. They contemplated what to do with their art collection and eventually decided to found their own museum in West Palm Beach, to give South Florida its first such institution. In 1940, construction began on the Norton Gallery and School of Art located between South Olive Avenue and South Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach. Mr. Norton commissioned Marion Sims Wyeth of the distinguished firm of Wyeth, King & Johnson to design the Museum. The Art Deco building opened to the public on February 8, 1941. Norton continued to add to his collection until his death in 1953, and the works that he and his wife gave the Museum form the core of the institution’s collection today.
The Museum’s permanent collection now consists of more than 8,200 works in five curatorial departments: European, American, Chinese, Contemporary and Photography. Since 1954, many distinguished additions have been made thanks to the endowment Mr. Norton created for the purchase of works of art. They include masterpieces such as Stuart Davis's New York Mural (acquired in 1964), and Jackson Pollock's Night Mist (acquired in 1971).
In 2013, with Florida’s population dramatically increasing and with Norton Trustees seeing the need for more exhibition and education space, the Board decided to embark on a bold, visionary Museum expansion, enlisting the renowned London-based architectural firm of Foster + Partners to design a new building. The transformed Museum opened on Feb. 9, 2019, featuring the Kenneth C. Griffin Building, which includes 12,000 square feet of new gallery space; expanded classroom space; a larger student exhibition space; a state-of-the art, 210-seat auditorium; a new store and restaurant; and a Great Hall serving as the Museum’s “living room.” The expansion also includes a lawn for outdoor programming, or relaxing, and a sculpture garden. The project also included the renovation of six Museum-owned, 1920s-era cottages to house an artist-in-residence program, and the Museum Director’s home. All to better serve the art and the community.
The Norton is delighted to welcome visitors back to the Museum! Please note daily capacity is limited and advance, timed-ticket reservations are required to help ensure a safe and enjoyable visiting experience for all.
María Berrío: Esperando mientras la noche florece (Waiting for the Night to Bloom)
Through May 9, 2021
This is the first survey of María Berrío’s art, presenting her mature work and including two new pieces. Berrío’s large-scale, brilliantly colored collages are meticulously crafted from unique papers sourced from South America and Asia, especially Japan. She creates scenes within the realm of “magical realism,” a hallmark of Latin American literature to which she relates her work; but, she is also firmly engaged with contemporary practices and the art of her peers.
1450 S Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach
(561) 832-5196
