The Imhoff family and the City of Lloydminster are proud to present the
“Imhoff Art Gallery” to the citizens of the area and visitors to the City.
The gallery is located in the Barr Colony Museum Building in Weaver Park,
Lloydminster.
The art gallery houses the collection of over 25O oil paintings, the
complete collection of the famous Imhoff paintings, which had been on display in
the Imhoff Gallery near St. Walburg for many years. The artist was the late
Berthold Imhoff.
In 1983, a long term agreement between the Imhoff Family and the City of
Lloydminster was reached allowing the entire collection to be brought to
Lloydminster for display. It is indeed a pleasure for the community to have
these fine paintings on display for the enjoyment of local citizens and visitors
alike.
Berthold Imhoff was born in 1868 in Mannheim, Baden, Germany, in a castle
on the banks of the Rhine River. At the age of seven, his paintings were
receiving acclaim. He studied at the famed Halle & Dusseldorf Art Schools
and his talent for bold brush works in dark colors with strong contrasts
developed.
At the age of 16 Imhoff
won the Berlin Art Academy Award for his painting of Germany’s Prince
Frederick William. This masterpiece is on display in Lloydminster.
At the age of 24, Imhoff emigrated to the United States and eventually
settled in Reading, Pennsylvania. He travelled throughout the eastern United
States painting murals and frescoes in public buildings, many churches and in
private homes. In Reading Cathedral, Imhoff worked for over a year on a mural
incorporating 226 life size figures.
Pressure on Imhoff mounted as his fame spread. Early in 1914, he joined a
band of settlers heading for Saskatchewan’s northwest frontier where he hoped
to find an isolated retreat. This he found in the area which is known today as
St. Walburg.
In the quarter century which followed, Imhoff covered canvas after
canvas while working in his lavishly decorated studio near St. Walburg. He
enriched numerous churches in the Province with his religious paintings.
In 1937, Imhoff was knighted by the Pope for his work for the Roman
Catholic Church. The title bestowed on him was “Knight Saint Gregory the
Great”.