The iconic shot, which features on the £5 note, was taken after the British statesman addressed the Canadian Parliament in 1941.
An iconic portrait. A famous photograph of Winston Churchill that was stolen from a luxury hotel in the Canadian capital has been found in Italy after being purchased at auction, authorities announced on Wednesday, September 11.
Estimated at 100,000 US dollars (91,000 euros), the portrait depicting the British leader was offered to the Fairmont Chateau Laurier hotel in Ottawa by the late Canadian photographer of Armenian origin Yousuf Karsh.
The image, which is one of the most iconic of Winston Churchill and features on the £5 note, was taken after the statesman addressed the Canadian Parliament in 1941, during the Second World War.
“Irreplaceable”
In August 2022, hotel staff alerted police after noticing that the photograph, hanging in a reading room off the main lobby, had been replaced with a copy.
Two years later, Ottawa police confirmed they had identified the culprit – a 43-year-old man living 370 kilometres west of Ottawa – and found the stolen portrait thousands of kilometres from the hotel in Italy.
“The portrait was sold through a London auction house to a buyer in Genoa, Italy, both of whom were unaware that the work had been stolen,” police said on Wednesday.
The suspect was arrested in April and charged with theft, forgery and trafficking in stolen goods.
“We are delighted that the iconic Roaring Lion portrait is returning to its rightful place at the Fairmont Château Laurier,” Geneviève Dumas, the hotel’s general manager, told AFP. “This portrait is not only an irreplaceable work of art, but also an important part of our hotel’s history,” she added.
The work will be returned to the hotel in the coming weeks and the establishment plans to exhibit it again for the benefit of its guests and the general public.
