Officials from the Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) are on a mission to locate more than 100 pieces of Indigenous artwork missing from a federal collection. The Indigenous Art Collection comprises 5,176 pieces by established and emerging Indigenous artists, with an estimated total value of $14.4 million.
Managed by the Indigenous Art Centre since its establishment in 1965, the collection aims to acquire, protect, preserve, and showcase contemporary Indigenous art. An audit conducted in November 2024 revealed that the collection was temporarily moved from its Gatineau facility in 2022 due to renovations. During this period, 132 artworks were reported as “not accounted for.”
During a recent meeting of the standing committee on Canadian Heritage, CIRNAC’s associate deputy minister, Rob Wright, stated that the missing artworks represent a value of approximately $49,000, equivalent to 0.34% of the total collection value. Deputy minister Valerie Gideon informed the committee that 12 missing pieces had been located, while 20 were identified as reproductions. Gideon explained that most of the missing artworks were lent to government offices in the 1980s for display purposes, with the loan program concluding in 2017.
In response to questions raised by Conservative MP Rachael Thomas regarding notifying the Indigenous artists, Gideon clarified that as the pieces have not been officially declared missing under heritage protocols, artists have not been informed. She emphasized that efforts are ongoing to trace the inventory and align cataloging systems before confirming any missing artworks.
The audit also highlighted certain security lapses, such as the absence of functioning security cameras at the temporary storage facility, damage to three paintings due to a water leak, and incomplete records of maintenance on the facility’s systems. CIRNAC spokesperson Pascal Laplante assured that the missing artworks are categorized as ‘unaccounted for’ rather than stolen, with no evidence of foul play. The department has committed to implementing enhanced record-keeping and collection management practices to prevent similar incidents in the future.