Best Kept Carmel
The Power of Public Art
Art is everywhere in Carmel-by-the-Sea. It's in the past and the present. It's in galleries, historical landmarks, and the stunning natural beauty of the coastline. If you're walking down the beach, it may be sitting on an easel in the sand, being created brushstroke by brushstroke by a plein air artist right in front of you.
But public art — art designed and created to be appreciated by everyone passing by — is a special form of artistic expression. It simply appears as you are walking down the street, perhaps stopping you in your tracks. A stunning mural, a sculpture, or even historic architecture, it adds an artistic twist to every walk around town, integrating art into everyday experiences. It is woven into the fabric of the destination itself.
There are many examples of public art throughout the one-square-mile village of Carmel-by-the-Sea. But here are five examples that are great places to get you started.
Carmel Shell Mural
The Carmel Shell mural is one of the newest additions to Carmel's public art scene, but what it lacks in longevity it makes up in pure vibrancy and public appeal. It's well on its way to becoming an iconic example of Carmel's colorful art scene, both past and present. Created and painted by Carmel folk artist Marie-Clare Treseder Gorham, the luminescent pink background and delicate scalloping are complemented by stunning lettering. Every element of the mural is inspired by Carmel's artistic heritage, from the colors of the vintage Hofsas House murals to the Blackletter inspired by Carmel's Wayfarer Inn and the shell-like scalloping by Little Napoli's tiles. The mural even contains an "inspiration map" denoting each location throughout Carmel-by-the-Sea that inspired the mural.
See it: Located at one of the busiest intersections in Carmel-by-the-Sea, right alongside Devendorf Park at the corner of Mission and Sixth Ave., the mural has become a vibrant symbol of the new artistic energy coursing through Carmel.
Hofsas House Murals
The Hofsas House has been a boutique hotel landmark in Carmel-by-the-Sea for more than 75 years. It is here, on the exterior of the European-style structure that you will find the work of a public art icon, restored by Carmel-by-the-Sea's Marie-Clare Treseder Gorham.
Hofsas House founder Donna Hofsas was friends with renowned muralist Maxine Albro and commissioned her to paint a mural on the hotel in the 1950s. The Bavarian-themed mural is a classic example of Albro's clean, bright style, and depicts colorful, whimsical Bavarian villagers. If the work looks too bright, fresh and crisp for decades of weather wear and sun exposure, that is thanks to the loving restoration recently completed by Marie-Clare Treseder Gorham, who returned the original definition and color to the piece.
Albro's mural is worth a visit to see the interplay of today's public artists revering and restoring the artistic legacy of past public art icons. But it is also a great introduction to the rich art of Albro, whose style was influenced by Mexican muralists like Diego Rivera and whose work includes powerful public art like the "California" mural at San Francisco's Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill.
See it: The Hofsas House is located on San Carlos Street, just north of the intersection with 4th St. The mural can been seen on the wall alongside the entrance to the hotel's parking area, and other ornamentation and art, including art by Maxine Albro, can be seen across the Hofsas House façade.
Bill Bates' Carmel Mural
Longtime Carmel cartoonist Bill Bates knew Carmel inside and out. Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize twice, the Carmel Pine Cone cartoonist was a fixture for more than three decades in the pages of Carmel's widely read daily. While his newspaper cartoons were eagerly anticipated each week, it is his mural that leaves a lasting legacy as a landmark public art piece in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
Bates took a humorous approach to a stylized map of Carmel-by-the-Sea. In many ways, this is the perfect visitors' mural. You can gain directions from it that will help guide you through a town with no street addresses. You can even laugh at some of the inside jokes that are easy to enjoy no matter how well you know Carmel. And you can simply stand and appreciate the rounded, expertly painted lines of the entire mural.
See it: Bill Bates' Mural is located on a wall facing the Nielsen Brothers Market at the intersection of Seventh Ave and San Carlos St.
The Valentine Sculpture
Sculptures, like murals, are ideal public art pieces. Durable, interactive and compelling, they catch attention and stand the test of time.
The Valentine has been a landmark in Carmel-by-the-Sea for decades. The bronze art captures a tender moment between a couple seated on a park bench — a perfect emblem of the romantic atmosphere of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Bought by the City of Carmel from artist George Lundeen, the sculpture now stands as a symbol of tenderness and romance in a small park that is in many ways the center of historic Carmel-by-the-Sea – one of the town's original structures, the First Murphy House built in 1902, sits alongside the park.
See it: The Valentine is located at the corner of Sixth Ave. and Lincoln St. The beautiful pocket park is a perfect place to relax on a park bench alongside the sculpture.
Meet Charlie Chaplin and Einstein
Walk onto the patio of the Cypress Inn and you might find the world's most famous silent film actor staring right at you. With his signature bowler hat, iconic mustache and mischievous gaze, Charlie Chaplin holds a can of pink paint, just having encircled himself in the outline of a dripping, pink heart. The striking street art composition is the work of Thierry Guetta, AKA "Mr. Brainwash," a French-born L.A. street artist who painted the work during a trip to the 2010 Carmel Art and Film Festival.
If you love it and want to see what else Mr. Brainwash painted while in town, there is a certain famous scientist with unkempt hair holding a "Love is the Answer" sign painted on the side of the chimney of the Einstein Cottage at the Forest Lodge. If the art looks reminiscent of world renowned street artist Banksy, there is a reason. Guetta starred in a Banksy-directed film, and some have even wondered if Guetta is the secretive British street artist himself.
