A selection of Emile Norman’s masterpieces are now on display at the Stanton Center.

The woods, mountains and canyons of Big Sur hide a lot of treasures. Artist Emile Norman’s body of work was and still is one of these rarely seen finds buried in Big Sur, where his house – full of his work – remains. Despite recognition and demand for his sculptures and other art in the 1940s, Norman is largely and undeservedly forgotten these days; for the most part his pieces have not been shown publicly.

Monterey History and Art at Stanton Center provides a rare opportunity. Norman’s animal sculptures, his mosaics and his nature poems, are gathered now in a small but representative exhibition of his masterpieces.

The first piece to attract the eye is “Drake,” a sculpture made of a clay mold and meticulously covered with tiny wooden tiles, Norman’s specialty. The effect of this 1957 piece and others, just 1 to 2 feet tall, is mesmerizing. “Drake” is accompanied by other exquisite animals: a polar bear, a lion, a whale – all faithful to the subject matter, yet bold and original. The execution shocks with loving precision and endless attention to detail.

Norman was “the master of all things resin,” we learn from a 2006 PBS documentary that museum visitors can watch while touring. He made his own glue, experimented with exotic woods, glass, stone, plastic and different types of fabric and fibers.

“I love to draw, but I love to paint – but now the sculpture is my most favored part, because it’s dimensional,” he said in an interview for the documentary. “Every time I do a work of art, I learn something technically and artistically, and I wondered why I was so damn dumb.”

The scope of Norman’s art and artistic curiosity is enormous. In addition to a multi-panel wall endomosaic (his most famous is in the lobby of the Masonic Memorial Temple atop San Francisco’s Nob Hill), the exhibit shows a sample of the Christmas cards he made, as well as a double-headed golden bird, the only piece in precious metal he ever shaped.

A self-proclaimed night owl, Norman worked non-stop every day in his Big Sur studio, often listening to Bach. He died in 2009, in Monterey, at age 91. He was a contributing artist and a member of the Carmel Art Association.

EMILE NORMAN’s work will be on display at the Monterey History and Art at Stanton Center through the first half of 2026. 5 Custom House Plaza, Monterey. (831) 649-9161, montereyhistory.org.