Historic Murals Donated Rare Chomyk Murals Displayed on Campus Four rare murals, by the acclaimed Missouri artist Michael Chomyk, have been donated to SIUE by retired financial planner and real estate investor Heinz Peter. The murals were given in honor of his mother, Elise Peter. The murals were painted by Mr. Chomyk, who died in 1993 in Ironton, MO, at the age of 82. They are the only surviving examples of his large-scale paintings from what was once a significant body of work, including a mural above the ticket area of St. Louis Union Station when it was a railroad terminal during the city’s heyday. “The importance of works such as these is frequently forgotten and the pieces are abandoned and destroyed as buildings change ownership and are either renovated or demolished,” said Eric Barnett, Director of The University Museum at SIUE. “The public should be grateful to Mr. Peter for working to save the paintings and donating them to a public institution.” Mr. Chomyk was one of a select group of artists chosen by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) beginning in 1935 to create works that document the evolution of American trade, exploration, and achievement.
Mr. Chomyk is listed as an artist with the WPA project in the book, The Federal Art Projects in Illinois, by George Mavigliano and Richard Lawson.
NEW BENEFACTORS
University Museum staff move one of the Chomyk murals donated by Heinz Peter.
The murals donated by Mr. Peter depict the rise of St. Louis from its founding as a trading post to the time when the murals were painted by Mr. Chomyk in 1955 for the Farm and Home Savings & Loan Association. Six of Mr. Chomyk’s smaller works are in the collection of the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. Mr. Peter, who was born in Germany and educated in Switzerland, is an avid antique and art collector residing in Edwardsville. He donated the pieces to the SIUE Museum so that they can be “kept together and enjoyed forever by the public.” “It gives me great pleasure to donate works of great historical value,” Mr. Peter said, “especially from such an accomplished St. Louis artist.” Once the murals have been cleaned, relined, and conserved, they will be displayed on campus. “We look forward to placing the paintings in a public space on campus so that the entire community can enjoy them,” Mr. Barnett said.
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