Karl May 1901-1976

Karl May was an exceptional painter. He was born in Bohmen, and immigrated to Canada in 1952. He settled in May valley, north of Montreal that received its name after him.

This collection, of his works for sale, comprises works in oil and acrylic, gouache, pastel, charcoal and tar drawings, handprints, lithographs and will include a number of "Hinterglas" - behind glass paintings, a traditional European medium, which Karl May has adapted to the contemporary idiom.

One-man shows of his work have been held in Berlin, Vienna, Dusseldorf, Kassel, Munich, Hamburg, Tehran and Chile. In Canada, in addition to numerous one-man exhibitions in private galleries in Toronto and Montreal, there were major exhibitions at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.


In 1976, an important retrospective exhibition was organized by the Public Archives in Ottawa, launching a program by the Picture Division to recognize and document the careers of foreign-born Canadians who have made valuable contributions to the country's artistic life. This was just before his death in 1976.