If you are asking yourself the question Who inherited Maud Lewis’ estate, you aren’t alone. The situation is complicated by the fact that Lewis died young, and her husband was unwilling to update her cottage with basic amenities. His reasoning was that it would only draw further public pity. He even denied his friend’s request to install a bathroom in the house, so Maud was forced to go to a nearby Poor Farm in order to take a bath.
Lewis’ lungs were damaged by wood smoke and paint fumes. She developed pneumonia in the hospital, and she was buried in a pauper’s grave. The estate was left to her son Everett. The case of Lewis’s death remains unresolved. Despite the court case, many people wonder what happened to her estate. Here are some details about the estate. You might be surprised to learn that Lewis’ father and younger brother were not the sole beneficiaries.
After Lewis’ death, Everett Lewis’s Painted House Society sold the property to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. In addition to the sale of the house, the Society decided to create a permanent museum for the artist’s works. A prominent artist, Brian MacKay-Lyons, donated his services to create the memorial. The memorial features bright spots of colour that highlight the poverty of Lewis’s life.