Several people examine the photo of Winston Churchill on Saturday.
Fifty years after the largest art heist in Canadian history was pulled off in Montreal, the world-famous portrait of Sir Winston Churchill hanging at the Château Laurier was discovered to be a fake.Several people examine the photo of Winston Churchill. The hotel and police believe the original was stolen sometime between late last year and early this year and swapped for a fake.
"It was very premeditated," said Bonnie Czegledi, an Ontario lawyer who specializes in international art and cultural heritage law.Art heists don't surprise Czegledi, but she was surprised to hear this portrait was stolen, "because the subject matter is so specific."Historian Andrew Roberts, who wrote a biography of the former British prime minister, called it "a rather bizarre story.
Richard Langworth, a senior fellow at the Hillsdale College Churchill Project in New Hampshire, said he can't understand what was "so singular" about this particular portrait.Several experts believe the thieves had a specific buyer in mind.Photos taken by guests have enabled hotel management to narrow down the timing of the theft to a 12-day period between Christmas Day and Jan. 6.
They bound and gagged three security guards, with one thief holding them at gunpoint as the others went through the museum and gathered up 55 pieces. Among them were 17 paintings, including a Rembrandt.
Canada does not keep specific statistics on art theft, instead lumping it in with all other manner of property theft. Czegledi said more robust investigation and prosecution would go a long way, as would sentencing guidelines for judges who might not understand the art world.Canada has signed on to a United Nations convention banning the import of cultural property illegally exported from another state that is a party to the convention.
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