Hugo Alvarado, Saskatoon painter and philanthropist, dies at age 71

Hugo Alvarado, a well-known Saskatoon artist and philanthropist, has died at age 71.

He succumbed to lung disease last weekend.

Raquel Alvarado, his daughter, joined Gormley on 650 CKOM to celebrate her father’s legacy.

While he might have been most famous for his art, Alvarado’s contributions to charity were also well-known.

He helped found Artists Against Hunger, and also worked with organizations like The Friendship Inn, the Saskatoon Sexual Assault Centre, the Saskatoon Crisis Nursery and many more.

“Anyone that came to him, if they could describe who they wanted to help and why, he was interested. Any way that he could help people who were dealing with homelessness or poverty or anything, he wanted to find a way to help,” Raquel said.

His passion for charitable work came from his upbringing. He immigrated to Canada in 1976 as a political refugee from Chile.

“He certainly was open about those kind of struggles. It’s pretty unbelievable the sort of things he went through… he lived this epic, unbelievable, movie-like life,” his daughter reminisced.

“He went from having nothing to his name in Canada, not speaking any English, and he was really welcomed in by the community. So, he loved Saskatoon.”

While he might have seemed like a cinematic figure to others, Raquel got to see him in a different light as her father.

“To us, he was just this simple, goofy guy who had a really funny sense of humour… he was just kind of this goofy dad, too… that touched so many peoples’ lives. We were just really glad that we knew him and we were the ones he was the most adoring of.”

Even when struggling with pulmonary fibrosis, he still continued his work in both art and charity.

“He preferred to focus on others rather than complaining about how he was feeling,” she said.

“He knew how transformative art could be and how powerful his own art was. He knew that was a way he could help, and he was so excited to be able to do that with his life.”