After news of the theft broke Monday, people began sending the hotel photos they had taken of the print signed by famed Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh, according to Geneviève Dumas, general manager of the Fairmont hotel in downtown Ottawa. “It was something that was very dear to the people of Ottawa, the portrait of Carz Winston Churchill. Everyone was so kind to send us all kinds of pictures and information that they could share with us, which helped us,” said Dumas. As of Tuesday, the most recent photo of the real portrait submitted was taken on Dec. 25, 2021, and CBC Washington correspondent Paul Hunter took the first known photo of the fake on Jan. 6 of this year. WATCHES | Château Laurier is appealing for the public’s help if the portrait of Winston Churchill goes missing
Château Laurier is appealing for the public’s help if the portrait of Winston Churchill goes missing
Geneviève Dumas, general manager at Château Laurier, says staff were able to narrow down exactly when the original portrait was stolen thanks to photos sent in by the public. Now he hopes someone will come forward with information that will lead to the recovery of the image. People love an art heist and share ideas about where the portrait might be. But the mystery is still not solved. Anyone who may have seen any fish last Christmas or who may have taken photos between Dec. 25, 2021 and Jan. 6, 2022, is encouraged to contact the hotel, Dumas said. Geneviève Dumas, general manager of the Fairmont Château Laurier, is asking anyone who may have taken photos between December 25, 2021 and January 6, 2022, to contact the hotel. (Matthew Kupfer/CBC)
Don’t romanticize art heists, says restorer
While the interest seems to be helping the investigation, a man who recovers stolen art for a living wants to shatter any notion that art thefts make good heist movies. “It’s not romantic, it’s not exciting, and it shouldn’t be,” said Christopher Marinello, attorney and CEO of Art Recovery International. “I treat art criminals as common criminals, as heartless, faceless, evil criminals who just want to make money at the expense of all of us,” he said. “They are removing works of art that belong to all of us to enjoy.” Marinello said it’s also a mistake to imagine the thief as a fan of Winston Churchill or portrait photography. Rather, it should be understood that they have simply done their research on the value of print. Another print of the Churchill portrait sold two years ago at Sotheby’s for $81,000, Marinello said, and does not have the same history as the hotel print. Christopher Marinello, CEO of Art Recovery International, said he has taken on a number of stolen art cases in Canada over the past year. (Submitted by Christopher Marinello) Karsh and his first wife lived at Château Laurier for 18 years, and his studio was housed there until 1992, a connection that makes the hotel’s print of The Roaring Lion portrait all the more valuable, Marinello said. He suggested it could be worth more than $100,000. Marinello also dismissed the idea that stealing art can increase its value. Although the theft of the Mona Lisa increased her fame, it did not go beyond that, she said. “I would never say that stealing something is going to increase the value because criminals are freaking out about art. I mean, I’ve worked on cases where $6 million worth of paintings went down to $1 million because they were rolled the wrong way.”
Stolen art was recovered less than 5 percent of the time
Art Recovery International is brought in many investigations after police have completed theirs, often by an insurance company, but less than 5 percent of stolen works are ever returned, Marinello said. It’s a common type of theft and he said he’s worked on several other cases in Canada in the past year alone. But how common is hard to say, according to international art and heritage lawyer Bonnie Czegledi. Unlike other countries, he said Canada doesn’t have a special task force — like the FBI’s art crime unit — focused solely on finding stolen art. “Americans and other countries are taking this seriously because we now know that art theft and cultural heritage theft is funding terrorism,” he told CBC Radio’s All In A Day. Canada also does not keep statistics on what kind of art is stolen, how often and who is targeted, all of which could help identify trends and prevent future thefts, Czegledi said. All in one day 10:29 Famous Winston Churchill portrait missing from Ottawa hotel over suspected art heist International art and heritage lawyer Bonnie Czegledi talks to us about the incidence of art theft in Canada
Check copy places near the hotel, suggests the expert
It’s possible that Château Laurier staff are combing the logs of visitors and marking disgruntled former employees, Marinello said. The thief could have tried to sell the print immediately after taking it, either online or through an auction house, and suggested checking in with nearby stores that offer photocopying services to see if anyone remembers to make a photocopy. Since the signed print is one of several in existence, Marinello said there’s a good chance the seller could land it at auction. Auction houses are in the business of making money, he said, and while some have entire departments dedicated to tracing the pedigree of artworks, others don’t do due diligence. And even if found, there could be other obstacles to the hotel getting the print back. “You’re next to a very unusual province in Canada that I find extremely frustrating for the work I do,” Marinello said. Quebec law gives owners of art who bought it without knowing it was stolen the right to keep it or negotiate a settlement for its return. That’s not the case in the rest of Canada, Marinello said. The Ottawa police investigation is ongoing and the force told the CBC it has assigned investigators to the case.
