What to Know
- Norton Simon Museum
- Saturday, Feb. 29 from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
- $15
If you told someone you were going to call upon The City of Light, by rolling down Colorado, and stopping in Pasadena, you might truly stump them for a moment or two as they attempted to detangle the geographical riddle.
But then, after a few seconds, they'd probably put it all together: A French exhibit or event was going to happen at the Norton Simon Museum, which is on Colorado Boulevard near the heart of Old Pasadena.
And Paris is indeed alighting in Pasadena for a few hours on the leapiest day of the year. That would be Saturday, Feb. 29, a perfect day to celebrate the exhibit "By Day & by Night: Paris in the Belle Époque" with a special festivity.
"Leapiest" has a few meanings here, both to do with the actual date and the fact that the Belle Époque was a period known for exquisite ballet imagery and joyful revelry, both.
And some of spirit of revelry will shine at this stylish Norton Simon event, which will include live music, "French-themed" foods, and the chance to fashion your own Belle Époque poster.
The chance to experiment with rubbing templates, and to "explore lights and darks," through a drawing project, will also be part of the ohh la la lark.
And, of course, the viewing of artworks by Pierre Bonnard, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and other art-making icons of the era.
Don that beret, and your best Belle Époque attire, and make for Paris in Pasadena on the final, leapiest day of February, an extra day for a very extra time period of art.
