The Norton Simon Manet exhibition opens Friday, Nov. 13, in Pasadena and stays on view through Mar. 1, 2027. It centers on Édouard Manet’s “The Execution of Maximilian,” on loan from the National Gallery in London, which the museum says is the first time this painting has traveled to the West Coast.
What the Norton Simon Manet show includes
The exhibition is titled Making History: Manet’s Execution of Maximilian from the National Gallery, London. The near life-size canvas hangs in the museum’s 19th-century art wing. It is included with regular museum admission, according to the museum’s announcement.
Manet painted several versions of the subject in 1867 and 1868. This one is fragmentary, because the canvas was cut into pieces after his death. Edgar Degas later bought the pieces, and the National Gallery acquired them at the sale of Degas’s estate in 1918. Today they are mounted together on a canvas the size of the original.
The history behind the painting
The work shows the 1867 firing-squad execution in Mexico of Archduke Maximilian of Austria, who had ruled as emperor with French military backing. Because the event was political news in France, Manet’s treatment drew wide attention in his own time. That is why the museum pairs the painting with archival material from the Getty Research Institute on the French occupation of Mexico in the 1860s.
The museum also plans lectures, tours and a film series alongside the show. Dates for those programs are on the museum’s website, so check there before you go. As of Nov. 12, 2026, no separate ticket for the exhibition has been announced.
Planning a visit
The museum sits on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. Because the loan runs nearly four months, visitors have time to plan around weekends and holiday crowds. Those who want a quieter look can still visit on a weekday. Also, the exhibition stays open past the winter holidays, so out-of-town guests can see it too.
For other museums, hours and prices, see our guide to Los Angeles museums. More local picks are in the Los Angeles and California guide.
Museum hours and admission rules can change, so confirm them before you travel.