In Canada, a famous photographic portrait of Winston Churchill was stolen and later replaced by a copy at a luxury hotel in Ottawa, the establishment announced this week, calling on the public to find the work.
It took several months for the Château Laurier employees to realize that a copy was being exhibited whose frame, poorly fixed, differed from the other portraits exhibited in the room of renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh. But it only took a few days for the many photos of the work sent by former clients to help management estimate the date of the theft at a week and a half, the director of the hotel’s museum, Geneviève Dumas, told AFP.
“Probably someone wanted this photo, either for their private collection or to sell it,” added the director, for whom the work is priceless.
However, estimated at US$100,000, the portrait depicting the British leader after his speech to the Canadian Parliament in 1941 would have been stolen between December 25, 2021 and January 6, 2022. This photograph “is part of the history of Mr. Karsh, of the history of the hotel, as well as the history of the war in Canada and Great Britain,” said Geneviève Dumas, who said she was “deeply saddened by this shameless robbery.”
A difficult thief to identify
The snapshot is one of Winston Churchill’s most iconic and consistent features on the £5 note. It shows the British leader in the Canadian Parliament buildings in Ottawa, moments after Yousuf Karsh removed a cigarette from his mouth. “It looked so belligerent it could have eaten me,” the photographer said, according to his website.
Known for his portraits of many personalities such as Martin Luther King, Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway and Queen Elizabeth II, Yousuf Karsh was very attached to the Château Laurier. After fleeing the Armenian Genocide and taking refuge in Canada, he and his wife lived there for 18 years. His first exhibition was held there in 1936 and his studio was established there until 1992. The artist died in 2002.
After the theft, the hotel authenticated the portrait as fake before filing a complaint. Ottawa police have launched an investigation and are reviewing security camera footage. But identifying the thief can be difficult, argues Geneviève Dumas, who recalls that sanitary restrictions were still in place at the time and that the perpetrator was surely wearing a mask.
Source: BFM TV
