William Perehudoff Canadian, 1918-2013
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The Optimism of Colour Retrospective; Kamloops Art Museum
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William Perehudoff’s upbringing in a small prairie farming community shaped his unique approach to color. Working alongside post-war icons such as Kenneth Noland and Jules Olitski, Perehudoff is a key yet under-historicized figure in the development of color field painting. Maintaining a dedication to the Saskatchewan farmlands that so-deeply informed his practice. In 1947, Perehudoff came into contact with several Canadian artists working towards abstraction, namely Lawren Harris. By the 1950s, Perehudoff began travelling to Europe, studying under Amédée Ozenfant and marrying fellow Canadian artist Dorothy Knowles. The couple settled in Saskatchewan and were instrumental in developing an international presence for Canadian abstraction through the Emma Lake Workshops.
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Museum Survey
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William Perehudoff and Jack Bush pioneered Canadian Color Field painting; Perehudoff continued to receive several honors in the 1990s and 2000s. He was given the Canada 125 Commemorative Medal in 1993, the Member of the Order of Canada in 1999, an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Regina in 2003, and the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal in 2005. In 2010, a large exhibition of his work, The Optimism of Colour, was organized by Mendel Art Gallery and traveled to several institutions throughout Canada. Its catalogue, in French and English, included essays by Karen Wilkin, Roald Nasgaard, and Robert Christie. Perehudoff continued to farm and paint until close to the time of his passing in 2013. Perehudoff's works are held in the public collections of the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, Portland Art Museum, Art Gallery of Alberta, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the Glenbow Museum, and the Canada Council Art Bank, among others. Nikola Rukaj Gallery has represented the Perehudoff Estate for several decades; the gallery is steward to the legacy of Perehudoff and upholds a commitment to advancing the enduring cultural significance of his art.
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Works
William Perehudoff Canadian, 1918-2013
ACP-79-3, 1979Acrylic on paper22 x 30 in.
55.9 x 76.2 cm.Signed and dated versoFurther images
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Rukaj Gallery is pleased to represent the William Perehudoff estate. William Perehudoff was a Canadian colourfield painter hailing from Saskatchewan. His broad canvases, brightly saturated colours, and neutral 'fields' are...Rukaj Gallery is pleased to represent the William Perehudoff estate. William Perehudoff was a Canadian colourfield painter hailing from Saskatchewan. His broad canvases, brightly saturated colours, and neutral "fields" are prime examples of Post-Painterly Abstraction. In the early 1960s Perehudoff attended several of the Emma Lake Artist's Workshops, merging with his prairie colour sensibilities to develop a singular voice in the colourfield movement. Developing longstanding relationships with artists such as Kenneth Noland and Jules Olitski and key critic, Clement Greenberg. Perehudoff's works are in the collections of numerous institutions including the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, Quebec; Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Vancouver Art Gallery, British Columbia; Portland Art Museum, Oregon; The Royal Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, London; and the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, India.Exhibitions-
Ten Variations on a Theme
Group Exhibition 5 Jun - 31 Jul 2025Rukaj Gallery is pleased to present Ten Paintings - an exhibition focusing on large-scale work. The emergence of Abstract Expressionism in the late 1940s marked a turning point in the... -
William Perehudoff
Solo Exhibition 10 Oct - 7 Nov 2024Perehudoff: Three Decades follows the Canadian abstractionist through the 1960s to his later work of the 1990s. This exhibition traces the evolution of William Perehudoff, one of Canada’s foremost colour... -
William Perehudoff
Solo 2 Nov - 7 Dec 2017Read more
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