The Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations says it found no evidence of theft or “ill-intent” after 132 pieces disappeared from its $14.4-million Indigenous art collection.
Police were never called, and the department still cannot explain what happened to the paintings, jewelry, sculptures and other taxpayer-funded works, according to documents obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter.
“There was no finding of theft or ill-intent,” officials wrote in a January briefing note titled The Indigenous Art Collection. No explanation was provided for that conclusion.
“Efforts are underway in an attempt to locate the remaining unaccounted-for artwork,” the department said. Another review of its regional offices is now underway.
The collection dates back to 1965 and contains 5,176 works, including individual pieces valued in the six figures. Artworks were stored in an unsecured warehouse or shipped to regional offices for decoration.
The department has contacted 32 artists or estates connected to 47 of the missing works but has refused to identify the pieces or their creators publicly, Blacklock’s reported.
“This went on for decades,” Conservative MP Jamie Schmale told the Commons heritage committee last November.
Hellbound and Down 