N.S. artist reclaims commissioned mural featuring former PM

Painting of prime minister returns to N.S. artist Nova Scotia artist Tom Forrestall’s painting of former Prime Minister John Thompson has been returned to him.

A celebrated Canadian artist found himself in an unusual-situation Tuesday: Tom Forrestall took delivery on a commissioned mural he'd painted of a former Prime Minister 33 years ago.

The piece pays tribute to Nova Scotia born Sir John Sparrow David Thompson whose legacy has come under greater scrutiny in recent years.

"The situation under it (the mural) and so on - I don't try to untangle that because everybody's right and everybody's wrong," Forrestall told CTV News Tuesday.

"So I don't try to sort that out."

A successful politician, Thompson was elected municipally, provincially, and federally.

A former Premier of Nova Scotia, he was also Canada's Justice Minister during the Louis Riel crisis, and argued for the execution of the Metis leader.

The Thompson mural was originally commissioned for a Halifax building that bears his name, and hung there for years before moving to another federal building downtown.

After renovations there a few years ago, there was no place for it.

Now retired, a former Public Service & Procurement Canada senior communications advisor says he didn't want to see it go into storage and an uncertain future.

"One of my other passions is heritage, and I knew that was an important piece of artwork. I have known Tom's work for years, been an admirer of his work for years. I knew that something more than just going into some storage somewhere, was necessary to really preserve that mural," said John Stone.

"Irrespective of the man depicted, this piece of artwork was a beautifully executed piece of work done by one of Canada's foremost artists."

Forrestall - who's a spry 87 - remains active.

In fact, a collection of his notebooks is currently touring the country.

His son - a talented artist himself - says he's never seen a piece of his father's work come back, and says we're living in an "iconoclastic moment" in time.

"But then, there will be a time when the iconoclastic moment itself will come under criticism," said Frank Forrestall. "He takes it in stride, I think. It's one of those things to be expected when you have commissions like this.”

Stone says the piece was offered to every major gallery and museum in the country, but there was no interest, so he reached out to the artist himself.

Forrestall isn't sure what he'll do with it, but would consider donating it to an institution or government for public display again.

In the meantime, he hopes for peace one day in a growing dispute between 'art' and 'history.'

"I hope that somehow or another the two sides - the leadership on both sides, can somehow or another work it out," he said.

Stone, on hand with others to help carry the mural back into Forrestall's studio offered a more blunt assessment.

"History is not just about happy stories. History is just that - a story about what happened in the past," he said.

"That mural - an original piece of artwork by Tom, is an important depiction of that piece of past history."

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.