One of Manitoba's most famous artists has died at the age of 98.

Clarence Tillenius was a wildlife artist who created many of the wildlife dioramas displayed in the Manitoba Museum.

Among those are the Bison Hunt at the entrance to the galleries and the polar bear and caribou dioramas in the Arctic-Sub Arctic Gallery.

He was also responsible for the large mammal dioramas in every gallery except Parklands, including the Boreal Forest Gallery’s moose diorama, according to museum officials.

All told, Tillenius produced nearly 20 dioramas for museums across Canada and the United States. Eight are on display at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, with each representing specific habitats across the country.

"He was an extraordinary man and an extraordinary artist, and The Manitoba Museum is honoured to have so much of his legacy on display for future generations," said museum CEO Claudette Leclerc.

"He was a great man — so easy to talk to, and so accessible. When I last spoke to him, he was still painting every day."

Premier Greg Selinger will send a letter of condolence to the family, a provincial government official told CBC News.

Tillenius was named a member of the Order of Canada in 2005, and he received the Order of Manitoba in 2003.