Emile Norman (pictured, below, front), a sculptor, jewelry artist, and mosaicist whose most well-known work is the massive mosaic and relief sculpture adorning the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco, died in Monterey last Thursday. He was 91.
The San Francisco Chronicle points out that Norman was a pioneer in both his art, and his life:
"But Mr. Norman's independent spirit was always a driving force. In
1961, he summoned up the courage to leave the New York art scene for
good, having had several gallery shows there, and he opened a gallery
of his own in Carmel. With his life and business partner, Brooks Clement (right, rear), Mr. Norman
settled into a house in Big Sur that they built themselves. The home
became a never-ending design project. At a time when being out was almost unheard of, Mr. Norman and
Clement lived openly as gay men. The fact that they were a couple was
also a rarity for the times."
Clement died in 1973.
