BERTHOLD IMHOFF

Count Berthold von Imhoff was born in 1868 in Mannhejm, Baden, Germany, the son of a gamekeeper from a noble family.  From an early age he displayed unusual artistic talent.  He was sent to prominent art schools in Halle and Dusseldorf and at the age of 16 won the prestigious Berlin Art Academy Award for his painting.  Throughout his life he would rarely sell any of his works beyond commissioned works and charitable donations.
  At the age of 24, he emigrated to the United States, rejected the family title of “Count” and dropped the ^”von” from his name.  There he became well known for his murals and frescoes in churches and public buildings.
  Early in 1914, he and his family joined a group of settlers and made his home in the St. Walburg area, north of Lloydminster, and lived there until his death in 1939.
  Imhoff is best known for his religious paintings in churches of all denominations throughout rural Saskatchewan and in the United States.  His generosity to churches especially during the Depression was recognized by Pope Pius Xl with the award of a Knighthood to the order of St. Gregory in 1937.  Imhoff's work also included many portraits, landscapes historical and still-life pieces.
  The Imhoff collection at the Barr Colony Centre is shown courtesy of the Imhoff family of St. Walburg and comprises over 250 artworks including the 1884 painting “Glory of Prince Frederick William” and his masterpiece “The Crucifixion.”