Norton Simon was an American industrialist and philanthropist renowned for his business acumen and vast art collection. He built a significant corporate empire through Hunt Foods and Industries, which included diverse holdings from food processing to publishing. Over his lifetime, he amassed one of the world's most impressive private art collections, spanning over 2,000 years of global art history. The collection is now housed in the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, which he founded to share his passion with the public.