Page 318 - YGARTUA: Magnum Opus - volume three

In 1986, Paul Ygartua painted the “World
United”, UN Pavilion Mural at Expo
Vancouver - the International Year of Peace
and the United Nations theme was world
harmony. It was 9.14x30.4 meters | 30x100 ft
and represented 16 portraits from the 5 races.
His monumental murals have captured
attention worldwide portraying an
integrated mosaic of the people of
the world. The world is his palette and one
feels they are travelling alongside, an exciting
journey that takes you to the inner depth of
his soul. For Ygartua this was an opportunity
of a life-time. The sheer volume, the
immensity of this undertaking took a great
deal of time and research starting a couple of
years before the commencement of Expo 86,
even before the UN project.
The by chance meeting of David Cadman in
Stanley Park, a previous client that adored
Paul’s Native renderings of the Native People
of Canada who stopped that one Sunday
to look at Paul’s work while exhibiting
in the park and only due to our previous
efforts trying to get into Expo 86 one way
or another - was the reason that Paul started
relaying his incessant endeavor to be part of
Expo 86 and low and behold David Cadman,
listened and then said to Paul “This is your
lucky day Paul Ygartua, I am the President
of the United Nations here in Vancouver and
how about coming down to the site Monday
morning as I think you are the guy we are
looking for (this was in February 1986) and
there we are on the Monday morning. Paul
was presented to all the executives and they
said here is the building what can you do for
us, and this is how it all began.
We always say everything is timing, you got
to be at the right place at the right time and
so this was always our motto: You have to
be everywhere all the time, you just have to
be out there, and I guess you could say it
was our lifestyle, you got to love it or you
couldn’t do it, an endless desire to keep on
that same pathway, only looking forward,
never looking back, your willpower and
determination is always the most important
factor to achieving anything, it enables you
to continue if you are lucky, this wondrous
adventure, thrilling and exciting.
314