Canada Loses a Master Dioramist.

Ottawa, January 25, 2012—The Canadian Museum of Nature notes with sadness the recent passing of esteemed Canadian wildlife artist Clarence Tillenius at the age of 98 (1913–2012).


Eight of his treasured dioramas, which date from the 1950s and 1960s, are on display in the museum's Mammal Gallery. Each of these recreated wildlife settings depicts an iconic Canadian mammal in a specific habitat, using a painted backdrop with mounted animal specimens in the foreground. The largest shows a herd of bison fending off a group of aggressive wolves, in a scene from Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories.


All told, about 20 of Tillenius's large-scale dioramas are in museums across Canada and the United States. They include five at the Manitoba Museum, which houses an impressive diorama that depicts a bison hunt.


Tillenius remained active well into his 90s. During the Canadian Museum of Nature's recent renovations, he consulted with staff as his decades-old dioramas were painstakingly preserved, moved and re-created in the new gallery.


Extracted from the Canadian Museum of Nature Website: Please  here to read the complete article.