Odd Man in: Norton Simon and the Pursuit of Culture

Rating:
Summary: A carefully crafted legacy
Review: If you have a dreamy idea of what art collecting should be, this book will shatter your delusions. If you have a very realistic view of the high stakes, the discipline, and the guiding passion it takes to do ANYTHING well, then you'll come away deeply admiring Norton Simon. He not only led the way in integrating businesses (way before all this Time-Warner nonsense), but he left behind one of the most generous and comprehensive collection of art in the world.

It's the ONLY book you'll ever find on Norton Simon. For a public figure, a maverick, and an outspoken leader, he was fiercely private.

Rating:
Summary: A carefully crafted legacy
Review: If you have a dreamy idea of what art collecting should be, this book will shatter your delusions. If you have a very realistic view of the high stakes, the discipline, and the guiding passion it takes to do ANYTHING well, then you'll come away deeply admiring Norton Simon. He not only led the way in integrating businesses (way before all this Time-Warner nonsense), but he left behind one of the most generous and comprehensive collection of art in the world.

It's the ONLY book you'll ever find on Norton Simon. For a public figure, a maverick, and an outspoken leader, he was fiercely private.

Rating:
Summary: Life of radical collector and millionaire
Review: Norton Simon Museum of Art at Pasadena is well known its surperb
collection of the old masters, the impressionists and Asian arts.
These collection is only based on the founder, a self-made millionaire Norton Simon's taste.

This book describes how he earned money and spent to the collection. Although he believed only his way of doing things and made a friction everywhere he goes, his talent, money and passion made possible to build the museum titled his name. Many episodes make this book readable and interesting even a reader who isn't interested in Southern California or Art collector.