Saskatchewan Hall, University of Saskatchewan

Provenance:
Being sold on behalf of the University of Saskatchewan Art Galleries with all proceeds going to the Jean Johnston Memorial Fund dedicated to student enrichment within the fine arts. Items on offer came to the U of S as donations with the understanding that some works would be dispersed to help maintain the health and accessibility of the collection, and some items were part of public decoration throughout the campus that have now shifted. All U of S items on auction have never been a part of the University of Saskatchewan Art Collection and the artworks presented in this auction have been cleared for display and sale. About the Jean Johnston Memorial Fund - Jean Johnston was an artist and educator who graduated from U of S in 1935 having studied under Augustus Kenderdine. She taught throughout Saskatchewan, but her career as a commercial artist, portrait painter, and illustrator would take her to Pennsylvania where she also taught at the Art Institute of Pennsylvania. Jean Johnston returned to Saskatchewan in 1985. A memorial fund in her name was established to support the student art gallery, student exhibitions and the development and presentation of the student-based collection.
Notes:
Muriel Simpson was born in England in 1889. She studied pharmaceutical chemistry in London and came to Canada in 1923. Settling in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Simpson also travelled to take art classes, studying in Berlin, New York, San Francisco, and Birmingham. Simpson worked in a variety of media, including watercolour and oil painting, in which she painted landscapes, portraits, still life, and flowers. She also drew, and over three decades created many sketches of University of Saskatchewan buildings. However, sculpture was her favourite medium and she particularly enjoyed using wood and marble. Simpson exhibited her work in numerous shows in Saskatoon beginning in 1941 and was a member of the Saskatoon Art Association and the Saskatoon Art Centre. Her work is part of several private collections in Canada as well as the collection of the Saskatoon Public School Board. Simpson died in 1963 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan