Maud Lewis

Folk artist Maud Lewis is known for her charming depictions of life in rural Nova Scotia. A cult figure in Canada, the self-taught painter spent much of her life in the same one-room house, whose surfaces—including the walls, her stove, and even a dustpan—she covered with colorful paintings of flowers and animals. Lewis gained renown toward the end of her life, and since her death in 1970 her works have exponentially increased in price at auction. One painting, found in an Ontario thrift store, fetched $45,000 in 2017—nearly three times its estimate. Lewis honed her innate talent during a childhood marked by rheumatoid arthritis that would worsen throughout her life, imbuing humble scenes with a sense of timelessness. The subject of three National Film Board of Canada documentaries, one biopic, a stage play, and many books, Lewis is commemorated with a permanent exhibition at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, which includes a restored version of her painted house.