Saanich police have seized more than 1,000 pieces of art worth tens of millions of dollars — including three original Emily Carr paintings and several David Blackwood pieces — after investigating an art dealer in Oak Bay.
It is the highest value of seized property by the department in the past 30 years, Saanich police told the Times Colonist.
An art owner contacted police on April 11 to report that, in March, they had entrusted a dealer with four pieces of fine art for consignment and potential sale at a gallery in Oak Bay: three original Carr paintings and a Blackwood watercolour. Both are renowned Canadian artists. There were also pieces by noted Canadian painter Joseph Plaskett.
The owner of the Carr and Blackwood paintings became suspicious when the gallery recently closed and attempts to contact the dealer went unanswered.
The police investigation found several other victims who had consigned art to the dealer, only to have all communication cut off.
Detectives with the Major Crime Unit executed three search warrants at storage sites in Saanich, Oak Bay and Langford.
An initial search found 600 pieces of art, the next more than 100 and the final search more than 300, police said.
Police said in total just over 1,000 pieces were seized, with an estimated value “in the tens of millions of dollars.”
The art is being stored at a secure location.
The dealer, whose identity can’t be released until charges are sworn in court, was arrested on April 21 and released on several conditions, with a court date set for July, said Saanich Const. Markus Anastasiades.
Investigators are preparing a report to Crown counsel recommending criminal charges for multiple counts of fraud and false pretense.
Police allege “the dealer was taking art from people with the intention of consigning or appraising the art, later ceasing all contact, all the while selling the art without reimbursing the owners or artists,” said Anastasiades.
As the investigation continues, detectives are in contact with the artists, their families or representatives, and the owners of the art in an effort to return all of the work to the rightful owners.
Anita Blackwood, wife of artist David Blackwood, told Glacier Media it was “very unfortunate that a number of artists known to me and many unknown to me have really been taken advantage of and been disrespected.”
One of Canada’s leading print makers, David Blackwood’s work has been celebrated for five decades.
This experience has been disappointing, Anita Blackwood said. “It’s really a dramatic example of what can go wrong,” she said.
Inquiries were made about the status of pieces in the Oak Bay gallery, but they were met with “silence,” she said.
“Essentially, phone calls weren’t returned, voicemails were not returned.”
The art is impossible to recreate. They were signed and numbered limited edition etchings. “The effort that had gone into producing those 70 works, you can’t recover that time and the effort,” Anita Blackwood said.
Only 13 of Blackwood’s pieces were recovered.
“The work that we did get back subsequently was sent out to his gallery in Newfoundland and to Heffel galleries across the country,” said Anita Blackwood. “So there were about 13 pieces that didn’t come back, and I can live with that.”
Police are not disclosing what specific artwork was seized, including the Carr painting. The prolific artist, who grew up in Victoria, has her work in the Royal B.C. Museum, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and in galleries and private hands all over the world.
Carr’s 1931 painting Cordova Drift, which depicts a natural seaside scene near Victoria, sold for $3,361,260 at a Heffel auction in Vancouver on Dec. 1, the second highest price paid for a work by the B.C. artist. The sale price fell only $32,000 below that for Carr’s 1928-30 painting The Crazy Stair, which went for $3,393,000 at a Heffel auction in Toronto in 2013.
Police believe there are individuals who have attempted to reclaim their artwork but have not been successful in doing so. They are asked to contact Saanich police by email at art@saanichpolice.ca.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
