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Item Name: Painting
Title: A Vision of Camelot
Maker: Molly Lenhardt
Year: 1978
Country: Canadian
Materials: oil on canvas board
Measurements: overall: 45.6 cm x 35.5 cm
ID Number: PC88.4
Legal Status: PERMANENT COLLECTION


Extended Label Info: As one of Saskatchewan’s well known self-taught folk artists, Molly Lenhardt’s Ukrainian heritage is at the forefront in her paintings. Through portraits of loved ones and landscapes, Lenhardt depicted her life and the community of Ukrainian immigrants to Canada. Though this is a significant focus in her work, Lenhardt created a small body of work of unusually imaginative paintings in which the subject matter is more imaginary. A Vision of Camelot is Lenhardt’s interpretation of the Holy Grail of Christian mythology and is also inspired by the ‘Camelot’ of the Kennedy era in American politics. This work is a talisman of her playful and romantic sensibility, complimenting her more pragmatic documentary work. Molly Lenhardt (1914-1995) grew up near Lake Winnipegosis, Manitoba. As a child, she was encouraged to paint by her father. She moved with her family to Melville, Saskatchewan and continued to paint while studying Business in Yorkton (1930). As an adult, she and her husband ran a variety store in Melville (Fairway Confectionary), and Lenhardt often painted at the back of the store when she had time. Her paintings have been exhibited across Canada and were the subject of a retrospective organized by the Dunlop Art Gallery (Regina, 1990). Her work can be found in the collections of the Saskatchewan Arts Board, the Canadian Museum of Civilization (Quebec), the Mendel Art Gallery (Saskatoon), the University of Saskatchewan, and the MacKenzie Art Gallery (Regina).