The owner of a piece of art – three original Emily Carr paintings and a watercolor by David Blackwood – became suspicious when the gallery closed and attempts to contact the art dealer went unanswered.
Saanic police have seized more than 1,000 works of art worth tens of millions of dollars – including three original paintings by Emily Carr and several works by David Blackwood – following an investigation by an art dealer in Oak Bay.
This is the highest value of seized property from the department in 30 years, Saanic police told the Times Colonist.
An art owner contacted police on April 11 to announce that in March they had entrusted a retailer with four works of art to be sent and potentially sold at an Oak Bay gallery: three original paintings by Carr and a watercolor by Blackwood. Both are famous Canadian artists. There were also works by the famous Canadian artist Joseph Plaquette.
The owner of Carr and Blackwood’s paintings became suspicious when the gallery recently closed and attempts to contact the merchant went unanswered.
The police investigation found several other victims who sent works of art to the trader, only to cut off all communication.
Detectives from the Major Crimes Unit carried out three search warrants for warehouses in Saanich, Oak Bay and Langford.
The initial search revealed 600 works of art, the next more than 100 and the final search of more than 300, police said.
Police said a total of just over 1,000 pieces worth tens of millions of dollars were seized.
Art is stored in a safe place.
The dealer, whose identity could not be revealed until the charges are brought in court, was arrested on April 21st and released on several conditions, with a court date set for July, Saanic Konst said. Marcus Anastasiadis.
Investigators are preparing a report to the Kingdom’s lawyer, in which they recommend criminal charges for numerous allegations of fraud and false claims.
Police say the “dealer took works of art from people with the intention of passing on or appreciating the art, later cutting off all contact and selling the art all the time without reimbursing owners or artists,” Anastasiadis said.
While the investigation continues, detectives are in contact with the artists, their families or representatives and art owners in an attempt to return the entire work to its rightful owners.
Anita Blackwood, the wife of artist David Blackwood, told Glacier Media that it was “very unfortunate that a number of artists known to me and very unknown to me were really used and disrespected.”
David Blackwood, one of Canada’s leading printmakers, has been famous for five decades.
The experience was disappointing, said Anita Blackwood. “This is really a dramatic example of what can go wrong,” she said.
Inquiries were made about the condition of the pieces at the Oak Bay Gallery, but they were met with “silence,” she said.
“Essentially, phone calls were not returned, voice messages were not returned.”
Art is impossible to recreate. They were signed and numbered in limited edition etchings. “The effort that went into producing these 70 works cannot restore that time and effort,” said Anita Blackwood.
Only 13 of Blackwood’s pieces have been restored.
“The work we received later was sent to his gallery in Newfoundland and to Hefel’s galleries across the country,” said Anita Blackwood. “So there were about 13 songs that didn’t come back and I can live with that.”
Police did not reveal what specific works of art were seized, including Carr’s painting. The prolific Victoria-born artist has worked at the Royal Museum of British Columbia, the Greater Victoria Art Gallery and in galleries and private hands around the world.
Carr’s 1931 painting Cordova Drift, which depicts a natural marine scene near Victoria, sold for $ 3,361,260 at an auction at Heffel in Vancouver on December 1, the second highest price paid for a work by the British Columbian artist. . The sale price fell just $ 32,000 below that of Carr’s 1928-30 painting The Crazy Ladder, which was $ 3,393,000 at a 2013 Heffel auction in Toronto.
Police believe there are people who have tried to get their artwork back, but have failed to do so. They are asked to contact the Saanich police by email at art@saanichpolice.ca.
dkloster@timescolonist.com
Add Comment