TAOS, NM — A New Mexico museum introduced on Thursday that two work stolen 4 many years in the past have lastly been recovered and returned.
The work have a hyperlink to Arizona as a result of they have been inadvertently auctioned off via a Scottsdale artwork gallery after being present in a New Mexico property sale. Nobody knew the work have been stolen on the time.
ABC15 profiled the stolen and lacking work in a story final 12 months.
Watch the video within the participant above for ABC15’s earlier protection.
Officers on the Harwood Museum of Artwork in Taos stated FBI brokers from the Santa Fe workplace delivered the 2 work again to the museum on Might 12.
“This homecoming means a lot,” stated Juniper Leherissey, the museum’s govt director, in an announcement.
Museum officers stated the FBI situated the work “within the Southwest” after being bought at public sale by two completely different folks.
Leherissey stated the FBI personally delivered the work to the museum on Might 12.
“A giant black van got here to the museum, and so they walked it in,” she stated.
“We unveiled the works, opened the packing containers, and have been amazed to see, actually, these works that had been lacking for thus a few years come again to the museum.”
The work are by well-known Western artists, Joseph Henry Sharp and Victor Higgins. They’re tied to one of many largest stolen artwork mysteries in latest historical past, present in the identical dwelling as a stolen Willem de Kooning portray. Legislation enforcement didn’t understand on the time that the de Kooning was not the one piece of stolen artwork within the dwelling.
The work went virtually unnoticed among the many belongings of a seemingly extraordinary retired couple, Jerry and Rita Alter, who lived in rural Cliff, New Mexico.
After the Alters died, the de Kooning wound up in an vintage retailer in 2017 in close by Silver Metropolis, whose owners quickly realized it was stolen and returned it to the College of Arizona. The de Kooning is now valued at more than $100 million.
The 2 Western work, in contrast, have been donated by the property to a non-profit thrift retailer, additionally in Silver Metropolis. They weren’t acknowledged as stolen and have been auctioned off in Scottsdale to learn the non-profit.
Lou Schachter, against the law and journey author for Medium, a web based publication, was the primary to attach the dots many years later that the 2 work auctioned in Scottsdale have been the identical ones stolen from the Harwood Museum in 1985.
Schachter detailed his findings in a story, prompting a nationwide hunt for the stolen treasures. The FBI agreed to take the case in April 2024.
“It’s actually fairly gratifying to see these work returned full circle,” stated FBI Particular Agent Susan Garst in an announcement.
The Harwood Museum work have been taken in 1985, the identical 12 months the de Kooning went lacking. They have been yanked from the museum wall with such power that the underside body of one of many work – “Aspens” by Victor Higgins – broke off. One other portray, initially titled “Oklahoma Cheyenne,” by Joseph Henry Sharp, was additionally gone. The Sharp portray was valued at $35,000; the Higgins at $12,500.
One staffer informed police he recalled seeing a person with a mustache and carrying a black raincoat depart the museum. The raincoat reference is eerily just like witness descriptions of the de Kooning theft on the College of Arizona, which might occur six months later. In that theft, one of many thieves wore a trench coat.
Taos police discovered little proof moreover the damaged body. The Harwood, like different museums on the time, had no video cameras.
The work remained lacking for many years.
Then, in 2017, the executor of Jerry and Rita Alter’s property, their nephew Ron Roseman, cleared out their home to organize it on the market after the dying of his aunt. He dropped off the 2 Western work together with packing containers of different family items to a non-profit thrift retailer in close by Silver Metropolis.
The 2 Western work weren’t acknowledged as stolen. So the non-profit organized to promote them via the Scottsdale Artwork Public sale. The Sharp portray bought for $52,650; the Higgins panorama went for $93,600.
The Scottsdale Artwork Public sale informed ABC15, however stated in an announcement final 12 months:
“We do our due diligence to stop the sale of stolen items, which now we have not skilled so far. On the time of taking these two works on consignment, we checked the FBI’s Nationwide Stolen Artwork File and neither portray was listed – nor are they listed at this time. We’ll cooperate utterly with the FBI on this matter.”
Now that the work are again on the Harwood Museum, they are going to be unveiled to the general public from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, June 6.
Electronic mail ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at anne.ryman@abc15.com, name her at 602-685-6345, or join on X, previously often known as Twitter, and Facebook
