William Kurelek

William Kurelek (1927-1977) was born on a farm near Whitford, 75 miles northeast of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The family moved to Stonewall, Manitoba, near Winnipeg, where Kurelek went through school. He graduated in 1946. It was shortly after this that his first symptoms of mental illness began to appear. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba, Kurelek entered the Ontario College of Art, but withdrew after the first term. He spent his summers working in bush lumber camps near Ontario and then travelled to Mexico, enrolling in the San Miguel Art School, where he stayed for two years. In June of 1952 he travelled to London England, and it was in London that he began to seek medical treatment for his disorder. For the next year and a half he became a resident, and shortly thereafter an out-patient, of Maudley Psychiatric Hospital. During this time he travelled throughout Europe. After Leaving Maudley in late 1953 and entering Netherne, another institution, Kurelek converted to Catholicism and began painting biblical scenes and subjects. Kurelek left Netherne in 1955 and travelled to Turkey, Greece and Israel before returning to Canada in 1959. After his return he began to create the 160 piece Passion of Christ series, bringing him critical acclaim and recognition after its completion in 1963. Kurelek spent the rest of his life painting, writing and illustrating books until he died in 1977.