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William Perehudoff

  • Museum Survey
  • Works
  • Exhibitions
  • Publications
  • Press
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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...

    The Optimism of Colour Retrospective; Kamloops Art Museum

    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.

  • Museum Survey

    Nanai #6, 1969 Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Amyot #11, 1975 National Gallery of Canada (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Echo, 1964 Art Gallery of Ontario (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    AC-89-054, 1989 Remai Modern Museum (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    AC-67-10, 1967 Mackenzie Art Gallery (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Prairie #4, 1972 Art Gallery of Alberta (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Untitled, 1985 Kamloops Art Museum (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Red Breaking, 1965 MacKenzie Art Gallery (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).

    Nanai #6, 1969
    Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal

  • Works
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: William Perehudoff, Thalia #19, 1970
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: William Perehudoff, Thalia #19, 1970
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: William Perehudoff, Thalia #19, 1970
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: William Perehudoff, Thalia #19, 1970 Installation view of The Optimism of Colour Retrospective at Kamloops Art Gallery, 2011
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: William Perehudoff, Thalia #19, 1970 Installation view at Rukaj Gallery

    William Perehudoff

    Thalia #19, 1970
    Acrylic on canvas
    78 x 108 in.
    198.1 x 274.3 cm.
    Series: Thalia
    Signed, dated, and titled verso

    Further images

    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 1 ) William Perehudoff, AC-88-15, 1988
    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 2 ) William Perehudoff, AC-88-15, 1988
    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 3 ) William Perehudoff, AC-88-15, 1988
    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 4 ) William Perehudoff, AC-88-15, 1988
    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 5 ) William Perehudoff, AC-88-15, 1988

    Exhibitions

    The Optimism of Colour: William Perehudoff Retrospective | Mendel Art Gallery (Saskatoon, SK), Oct. 01, 2010 - Jan. 09, 2011; Kamloops Art Gallery (Kamloops, BC), Mar. 26 - May 28, 2011; Art Gallery of Windsor (Windsor, ON), Jan. 12 - May 31, 2012; Robert McLaughlin Gallery (Oshawa, ON), Jul. 07 - Sept. 09, 2012.

    Literature

    The Optimism of Colour, Mendel Art Gallery, 2010 (Page 143 Plate 34). ISBN 9781896359731

    Publications

    The Optimism of Colour, Mendel Art Gallery, 2010 (Page 143 Plate 34). ISBN 9781896359731
    Thalia #19 stands as a definitive work of the Colour Field movement. Expanding on the visual language first developed during the Emma Lake Workshops, 1970 occupies a distinctive position in...
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    Thalia #19 stands as a definitive work of the Colour Field movement. Expanding on the visual language first developed during the Emma Lake Workshops, 1970 occupies a distinctive position in Perehudoff’s oeuvre, between the structured clarity of hard-edge abstraction and the atmospheric playfulness seen in contemporaries such as Olitski’s Core paintings. In Thalia, bands of colour arc, press, and lean against a dominant circular form, creating visual tension and resolution across the canvas. The work exemplifies Perehudoff’s commitment to pure, open colour while simultaneously asserting a rigorous formal architecture. Despite maintaining a studio practice on his farm in Saskatchewan, Perehudoff’s artistic concerns were decidedly international. Thalia #19 was included in the touring retrospective The Optimism of Color, organized by the Mendel Art Gallery, which was exhibited at five major Canadian art institutions. The Thalia series has since been recognized as a significant body of work, contributing to the reassessment of Perehudoff’s role in shaping both national and international discourses on Post-War Abstraction. Works from this series are now held in the permanent collections of the Art Gallery of Alberta, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, and the MacKenzie Art Gallery.

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  • Exhibitions
    • Ten Variations on a Theme

      Ten Variations on a Theme

      Group Exhibition 5 June - 31 July 2025
      Rukaj 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

      William Perehudoff

      Solo Exhibition 10 October - 7 November 2024
      Perehudoff: 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

      William Perehudoff

      Solo 2 November - 7 December 2017
      Read more
  • Publications
    • The Optimism of Colour

      The Optimism of Colour

      William Perehudoff Karen Wilkin, Roald Nasgaard, and Robert Christie
      Hardcover, 206 pages
      Publisher: Mendel Art Gallery
      ISBN: 9781896359731
      Read more
  • Press
    • William Perehudoff in WSJ

      January 9 2026
      Wall Street Journal
    • Artworks by Russell Young (left) and William Perehudoff (right) | Photo by Brandon Barré

      Luxurious South Florida Manse Channels Edgy Attitude

      Marina Brown, Florida Design Magazine, April 1, 2021
    • Photographed by Stacey Brandford

      Explore A Shop Owner’s Home Inspired By Her South African Heritage

      Iris Benaroia, House & Home, July 13, 2020
  • Contact Form

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