It took several months before the employees of the Chateau Laurier Hotel realized that the historic portrait had taken off.
One of his most famous photographic portraits Winston Churchill was stolen and then replaced by a replica at a luxury hotel in Ottawa, as announced a few days ago by the hotel’s management appealing to anyone with information that could contribute to the investigation to locate him.
It took several months before the employees of the Chateau Laurier Hotel realized that the historic portrait had taken off. At some point they realized that the frame was different from the rest of the collection of the famous photographer Yusuf Kars.
Patrons of the Chateau Laurier sent photos of the work to help date the theft, hotel manager Genevieve Dumas told Agence France-Presse (AFP). The theft is estimated to have taken place between December 25, 2021 and January 6, 2022. “Someone probably wanted this photo either for their private collection or to sell,” the hotel manager said.
The historic portrait of Winston Churchill is estimated to be worth around $100,000. The former British Prime Minister was photographed after addressing the Canadian Parliament in 1941.
It is “part of the history of Mr. Kars, the history of the hotel, and the history of Canada and wartime Britain,” said Genevieve Dumas, who said she was “deeply saddened by this brazen theft.”
The shot is one of Winston Churchill’s most iconic and is featured on the five pound note. Churchill was photographed in a chamber of the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa seconds after Yusuf Kars took a drag from his cigar. “He looked so hostile, he could eat me,” the photographer later said.
Known for portraits of celebrities — such as Martin Luther King, Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway and Queen Elizabeth II — Yusuf Kars also had ties to the Chateau Laurier Hotel. After escaping the Armenian Genocide, he fled to Canada. He and his wife lived there for 18 years and maintained a studio at Chateau Laurier until 1992. The Armenian-born artist died in 2002.
Canadian police have launched an investigation to identify the portrait and of course the thief, examining the footage from the hotel’s security cameras. However, identifying the perpetrator may prove to be a difficult task, points out Genevieve Dumas, recalling that due to the protection measures for Covid-19 it is very likely that the thief was wearing a mask.
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