Halina Czajkowska Robinson of London, Ont., lived a remarkable life.
Born in Poland, the Holocaust survivor played a key role in discovering a cure to childhood leukemia. But she also left other treasures behind when she died at 94 — nearly 1,000 pieces of her artwork.
Now, her art collection is on display at an exhibit called LIFE/FORMS at London’s Satellite Project Space on Dundas Street until Aug. 19.
“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” said Moira McKee, an art appraiser and curator of the exhibit.
“Many of her peers and loved ones were quite unaware that she was producing to this extent.”
Moira McKee is a an appraiser who curated Robinson’s LIFE/FORMS exhibit, running at the Satellite Project Space at 121 Dundas St. until Aug. 19. (Michelle Both/CBC)
Robinson’s friends discovered the vast collection of watercolour paintings, pastel drawings, linocut and woodcut prints when they went to handle her estate as executors, said McKee, who was invited to help sort the work and get it into the public eye.
“As we were beginning to unpack the pieces that were stored, we really discovered the immense volume of this collection.”
A rich but challenging life
The daughter of a Polish military officer, Robinson fled her home to Warsaw in 1940 during the Second World War. She attended an underground school, was arrested during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944 with her mother, and survived the Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps, according to her obituary.
After the liberation of Bergen-Belsen in 1945, she fled to Sweden, where she eventually became a chemical engineer.
“Helena lived this incredibly rich but also very challenging life,” said McKee. “She has quite an incredible history.”
This watercolour piece, called Enchanted Forest, was painted by Robinson in 1984. Relationships and nature were some of the biggest inspirations in her artwork, says art curator Moira McKee. (Submitted by Moira McKee)
She moved to Canada in 1951, joining a cancer research lab at Western University, where she played a key role in discovering a plant extract’s effectiveness in treating cancer and childhood leukemia — which is still used in cancer treatment today. That’s also where she met her husband, Dr. James Russell Robinson, Western’s first PhD in chemistry.
In her retirement, Robinson spent time volunteering at Museum London and taking art courses at Western University.
WATCH | Art curator Moira McKee on the discovery of the artwork:
Art curator Moira McKee on the discovery of the artwork
3 hours ago
Duration 0:57
Art curator Moira McKee explains the ‘immense volume’ of hand framed art by Halina Czajkowska Robinson her executors found, to the surprise of her peers
Throughout her time in Canada while she was making incredible contributions, she was also producing a vast assortment of artwork in her home studio, McKee said.
“This was a lifelong pursuit for her,” she said. “What she truly wished was for her work to outlive her.”
Relationships, nature were inspirations
McKee believes interpersonal relationships and nature were her biggest inspirations in her art, and she explored them in varying ways through the decades, she said.
“There’s a real focus on family. For Helena, family mattered a great deal because she nearly lost everything at a particularly challenging period in her life,” she said, noting woodcuts of family seated at the dinner table.
Robinson’s woodcut print Three Graces was created in 1981. (Michelle Both/CBC)
The theme of children also runs through her work, said Marianna Krol, 80, who was friends with Robinson for about three decades.
“If you know Halina’s life — the history of her life, you can find in the pictures, pieces of her life, ” she said.
Because Nazis sterilized her in Auschwitz, Robinson could not have children, although she wanted them, Krol said.
“She suffered very much about this,” she said, and Krol believes that loss is weaved through her artwork. “In her paintings, in her pictures, there are a lot of children in different stages of life.”
Robinson detailed her story in a book called Heaven, Hell and Purgatory: A Canadian Memoir of a Happy Polish Childhood, Nazi Horror and Swedish Refuge. (Michelle Both/CBC)
The LIFE/FORMS exhibit runs at 121 Dundas St. from Wednesday to Friday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., or by appointment until Aug. 19.
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.
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