New home found for Queen portrait from old Winnipeg Arena
Details of painting's new home are being kept close to the chest
Just days after being put for sale on Kijiji, the owners of a famous Queen Elizabeth portrait say they've found a home for the monarch.
A wanted ad on the online classifieds website — posted by the painting's current owners, who were searching for a new buyer for the Queen — has been updated, saying a home has been secured.
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In February 2015, CN Rail executives Jamie Boychuk and Michael Cory purchased the five-by-seven-metre portrait for a price they refused to disclose, then brought it back to Winnipeg.
CBC News tried reaching out to Boychuk for comment Wednesday morning, and we have yet to hear back from him.
However, a message sent by Lindsay Watt, who is handling inquiries on behalf of the painting's owners, said the portrait has secured a new home right here in Winnipeg.
Watt would not reveal the location of the portrait's new home or say how much it sold for.
"We think the people of Winnipeg will be quite happy when they are able to see her hung up where she can be appreciated," Watt said.
"As for when that will be…. You will have to stay tuned!"
The massive portrait of the Queen once watched over NHL games at the old Winnipeg Arena. It was done by billboard artist Gilbert Burch in 1979 and it hung from the rafters in the former arena for 20 years.
The portrait was criticized by some who had said it was not a good likeness of Queen Elizabeth, and hockey players were known to try to hit the painting with pucks during practice.
The artwork was taken down in 1999, in preparation for the Pan Am Games, and it spent most of the following years stored in a warehouse in Whitby, Ont., before it was purchased.
With files from The Canadian Press