[MSN] OTTAWA - A portrait painted of a Canadian soldier killed in June in Afghanistan has been stolen just before a family friend, who purchased the artwork, could pick it up from an Ottawa gallery and give it to the dead man's girlfriend.

[Museum Security Network Mailing list]

Portrait of fallen Canadian soldier stolen
  
CanWest News Service 


Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Sargeant Christos Karigiannis was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan's
Panjwaii Valley on June 20, 2007.  
 
OTTAWA - A portrait painted of a Canadian soldier killed in June in
Afghanistan has been stolen just before a family friend, who purchased the
artwork, could pick it up from an Ottawa gallery and give it to the dead
man's girlfriend.

The portrait of Sgt. Christos Karigiannis was painted by Ottawa artist Heidi
Conrod and stolen from Dale Smith Gallery in early August. 

The police are investigating.

Conrod said in an interview Tuesday the purchaser had wanted to give the
portrait to Karigiannis's girlfriend, who lives in Kingston. Ont.

Neither Conrod nor Dale Smith released the names of the purchaser or the
girlfriend. "I feel terrible for them," Conrod said.

The artist has offered to create another painting of Karigiannis if the
original is not located.

The girlfriend did come to the Ottawa gallery to view the painting before it
was stolen. She and her friend, the purchaser, were allowed to spend some
time alone with the artwork.

"It was quite emotional," said Smith.

The portrait was one of three paintings of Canadian soldiers killed on June
20 when their unarmoured vehicle was struck by roadside bomb in Afghanistan.


The three soldiers were all from the Edmonton-based 3rd Battalion Princess
Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

The other two soldiers were Cpl. Stephen Frederick Bouzane and Pte. Joel
Vincent Wiebe.

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