The Hucal Kurelek Collection

William Kurelek (Canadian, 1927–1977) Zaporozhian Cossacks, 1952, oil on masonite, 102 x 152 cm. Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Gift of Robert G. Kearns, 2003-146

William Kurelek in Focus: Works from the Collection

At the time of his death, William Kurelek (1927-1977) was one of the most commercially successful artists in Canada. He was also one of the country’s most prolific artists, producing over 2000 paintings and drawings over the course of his brief career.

WAG-Qaumajuq holds one of the largest public collections of Kurelek’s artwork, and these holdings were enriched significantly by a generous gift of ten paintings from Margaret Hucal in 2021. Over the last decade, Margaret and her late husband, Robert Hucal, have donated over 500 works by Canadian artists.

On now at WAG-Qaumajuq, William Kurelek in Focus: Works from the Collection presents a selection of paintings by Kurelek from the recent Hucal gift along with other works from the collection.

Kurelek’s unique realist painting style was applied to a diversity of subjects, including the Prairie landscape, new immigrants in Canada, life on the farm, spirituality, and mental health. His documentation of the Ukrainian immigrant is particularly poignant given the current military conflict and oppression in Ukraine.