The Simon's treasures include modern and contemporary works, as well as a slew of European paintings from the 14th to 18th centuries (including three of Rembrandt's most famous). But it's the comprehensive South and Southeast Asian collections that draw the most attention. Several controversial pieces may or may not have been smuggled into the US by temple plunderers, including a 10th-century Indian figure called the Sivapuram Nataraja. The rotating displays of Japanese woodblock prints belong to a collection that Simon purchased from a cash-strapped father of eight, architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The art continues out in the garden, where bold bronzes like Henry Moore's 1966 Draped Reclining Woman are set among fragrant patches of lavender, a eucalyptus grove, and 180 species of plants.