Riopelle Sculpture Stolen from Quebec Town

La Defaite, estimated to be worth around $1 million, has been stolen from a public park in Esterel, Que.

It's been a rough summer for internationally renowned Quebecois artists, as a sculpture created by Jean-Paul Riopelle has been stolen from the town where he set up a workshop. Riopelle's La Defaite sculpture had been on public display in the town of Esterel, Que., since 1963, when the abstract expressionist was at the height of his popularity. The sculpture featured two human-esque figures made of bronze, and was estimated to be worth somewhere in the neighbourhood of $1 million. As of last night, though, the statues are missing, although police suspect three men seen milling around the statute yesterday could have been involved. This, of course, follows the aesthetic indignity of Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird's decision to remove two paintings by Alfred Pellan from the foreign affairs HQ in Ottawa to make way for a portrait of the Queen. If any Paul-Emile Bourduas paintings go missing this summer, it's officially a conspiracy.