Police looking for art thief in Ottawa

Police are hoping members of the public can help them identify a man who they believe is connected to an art theft.

Officials said in a press release that four art pieces were taken from a hotel in the 200 block of West Hunt Club Road on June 7. Police say a man entered at 3:42 a.m., took the pieces from the walls and left the area with the artwork by 3:49 a.m.

Police said the estimated value of the artwork is $4,000.

The suspect is described as a white man in his early 30s, about 5’7″ tall with long hair. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a blue-green and beige baseball hat, a tropical-print Adidas shirt, beige shorts, black socks and black, white sneakers.

At the time, he was also wearing a medical face mask.

Police are asking people to contact Detective Mark Bradley if they have information about the incident or the suspect. They can reach police at 613-236-1222, extension 2235 or by email at bradleym@ottawapolice.ca.

Ottawa the centre of another art heist

This is not the first of its kind crime for Ottawa police officers, after the force helped bring home the famous portrait of former British prime minister Winston Churchill to the Chateau Laurier.

Renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh snapped the celebrated portrait in 1941 in the Speaker’s office just after Churchill delivered a rousing wartime address to Canadian members of Parliament.

Karsh lived in the hotel, and operated a studio out of it, for almost two decades. He donated the Churchill portrait and six others to the hotel in 1998, when he moved out.

Police said the portrait was stolen from the hotel sometime between Christmas Day 2021 and Jan. 6, 2022, and replaced with a fake. The swap was only discovered months later, in August, when a hotel worker noticed the frame was not hung properly.

The portrait was returned to the hotel after a lengthy international investigation determined it was bought at an auction in London by an Italian man who was not aware it was stolen.

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