IMHOFF ART GALLERY

             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”.