20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 9-15, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com In 1946, artist Emile Norman returned from New York City to his native California and settled in Big Sur with his partner, Brooks Clement. That same year, they attended the Carmel Bach Festival—its first edition after a four-year, wartime hiatus, the series having been canceled from 1942 through 1945—and Norman was immediately, and permanently, hooked. He came every year after that until he died more than 60 years later, not merely to concerts but also to rehearsals, hearing the same compositions performed again and again in search of something new in each iteration. “Because it’s live music, it’s different every single time,” says Heather Lanier, director of the nonprofit Emile Norman Arts. “For him it was fine-tuning his knowledge and his love of music.” He became one of the festival’s most recognizable figures: purple beret, purple jacket, purple high-tops, a devoted presence in the audience and backstage alike. Musicians who had never formally met him knew exactly who he was. “He’s known to the musicians and to the staff as Emile Norman,” Lanier says, “but also as the man in the purple hat.” Before Big Sur, Norman (1918-2009) had attracted attention in New York, where his window displays for department stores How a visual artist in 20th-century Big Sur turned his affection for Bach into an art form unto itself. By Agata Popęda Above: Big Sur artist Emile Norman ready for an event with the Carmel Bach Festival. He was famous for his purple attire, and for being a hardcore Bach fan. Right: Norman’s ridgetop house in Big Sur has a stunning ocean view and stunning art inside. It also has an altar devoted to music—a Baroque organ. Carmel FBe s taicvha l 2026 EMILE NORMAN ARTS
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