The saga of the stolen Winston Churchill portrait has reached its conclusion. In August 2022, Ottawa’s Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel reported the disappearance of Yousuf Karsh’s iconic 1941 “Roaring Lion” portrait. Yesterday, the Ottawa Police Department announced the recovery of the portrait and the apprehension of the thief. Plans are now underway to return the artwork to its prestigious home.

The thief, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, replaced Karsh’s portrait with a duplicate to deceive hotel staff. The ruse was uncovered when a staff member noticed discrepancies in the frame of the fake image. Jerry Fielder, the manager of Karsh’s estate, confirmed the forgery. The police investigation revealed that the theft likely occurred between December 25, 2021, and January 6, 2022.

Authorities have been diligently pursuing the case. According to a recent statement, the portrait was sold through a London auction house to an unsuspecting buyer in Italy. The police tracked down the 43-year-old thief from Powassan, Ontario, using public tips, forensic analysis, and international cooperation. He was arrested on April 25 and faces charges including forgery, theft, and trafficking in stolen goods. The portrait is valued at over $5,000.

Yousuf Karsh, who fled the Armenian genocide and arrived in Canada in 1923, opened his first photography studio in Ottawa in 1932. He moved to the Fairmont Château Laurier 40 years later. Karsh is renowned for his black-and-white portraits of 20th-century icons like Audrey Hepburn, Ernest Hemingway, and Queen Elizabeth. His prints often sell for over $10,000. Heritage Auctions is currently offering another copy of the 1941 Churchill portrait, estimated to fetch $5,000 to $7,000. In 2019, Sotheby’s sold a copy for $62,500.

This isn’t the first time Karsh’s Churchill portrait has been involved in a crime. In 2015, Sirius XM host Michael Smerconish accused New York dealer Walter Graham Arader III of selling him a fake copy.

The Ottawa Police Department is now coordinating with the Italian Carabinieri and a private collector in Genoa to ceremoniously return the photograph to Canadian investigators in Rome later this month. The “Roaring Lion” will then be restored to its rightful place at the Fairmont Château Laurier, with enhanced security measures in place.
 

Sayart / Sims green sims010@naver.com