Saskatchewan’s 14th premier, Brad Wall is taking up permanent residency on the walls of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building.
On Wednesday, current premier Scott Moe unveiled Wall’s official portrait in the Rotunda surrounded by dignitaries, friends and family.
“I am feeling… I’m feeling very, very grateful today and those who give speeches for a living, would probably say, ‘You don’t need to repeat the ‘very’ … it’s a redundancy.’ But I kind of feel like I do,” Wall said.
Wall served as premier from 2007 until he retired from politics in 2018. He is the fourth-longest tenured premier in the province’s history.
The portrait was painted by renowned Canadian portrait artist Phil Richards. The province said the portrait took four and a half months of work to complete over the span of two years.
The portrait features Wall seated in the premier’s office surrounded by meaningful objects, photos of his family, and holding a copy of the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth. A painting of scenery near Swift Current can be seen over his shoulder.
“Brad Wall remains one of the most popular and successful leaders in our province’s history, having overseen a period of then-unprecedented growth and opportunity for Saskatchewan and the challenges that came with it,” Moe said.
“He met those challenges by virtue of his vision, his dedication, his compassion and, above all, his unshakeable belief in the potential of this province and its people – a legacy that will continue to inspire and inform us all into the future.”
The painting will be displayed in the Saskatchewan Gallery — collection that features more than 200 pieces, including portraits, busts, sculptures, murals and photographs that provide a visual history of Saskatchewan’s journey and growth as a province.