The Perehudoff Mural Controversy – ie the little grassroots campaign that could

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A grassroots campaign to save the murals painted by William Perehudoff at the Intercontinental Packers building in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is a success.

The snow has chased me out of Saskatchewan (actually, I was leaving anyway) but a trip to my hometown of Saskatoon would not be complete without mentioning the Perehudoff mural controversy.

Murals from the 1950s in Saskatoon

In the 50’s, my father, artist William Perehudoff, painted some frescoes in the executive suite of the old Intercontinental Packers building. (As an aside, my mother, artist Dorothy Knowles, who was extremely pregnant with my oldest sister, Rebecca, at the time, was there handing him the paints while he was up on a ladder working on the top part of the murals.) But all good things come to an end – the building is going to be torn down for a freeway and the murals were going to be demolished.

Purist art in Canada

The murals are one of the last remaining examples of purist art in Canada (my dad studied with Amedee Ozenfant in New York, co-founder, along with Le Corbusier, of the Purist School), so it was goodbye to a small piece of history – until a group of devoted save-the-muralists campaigned to stop the destruction and the crazy thing is … it looks as if worked.

As they were in the 50s

The murals will be saved!

Hooray for the little people.

So, from the Perehudoff family to the campaigners … thanks. And thanks to the City of Saskatoon and Maple Leaf Foods who kicked in and helped.

Thanks, thanks thanks.

Want more controversy? Read about the Mendel Art Gallery.

Read William Perehudoff Obituary

Read more about travel and art.