By Canadian Press

Famous Yousuf Karsh portrait of Sir Winston Churchill stolen from Château Laurier

Aug 22, 2022 | 3:40 PM

It sounds like a caper from a movie: a thief has swapped out the famous portrait of a scowling Sir Winston Churchill, photographed by Yousuf Karsh in 1941, with an unsigned copy.

A staff member at Ottawa’s Château Laurier noticed on Friday that the frame in the Reading Lounge wasn’t hanging properly and didn’t look the same as the others in the collection.

The hotel’s general manager, Geneviève Dumas, says staff are “deeply saddened by this brazen act,” and the hotel is seeking information from the public about the theft.

The collection of portraits — six displayed in the Reading Lounge and another nine in the hotel’s Karsh Suite — was installed in 1998.

Other photos in the lounge have been taken down until they can be secured properly.

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The photographer and his wife lived at the Château Laurier for 18 years and Karsh’s studio was in the hotel for 20 years, from 1972 on. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 22, 2022.

The Canadian Press