The FBI joins the investigation into stolen paintings from Taos

The FBI takes over the investigation into two stolen paintings that happened in Taos nearly 40 years ago. In 2017, Silver City antique store owner David Van Auker was sent to a home in Cliff, New Mexico to view the estate of Jerry and Rita Alter. As Van Auker and his two partners walked through the house, they noticed something in one of the rooms. “If the bedroom was open you couldn’t see it. It was a very strange place to hang paintings,” Van Auker said. Your Neighborhood: Local News from KOAT Action 7 News He soon realized that the artwork was de Kooning’s “Woman Ocher” painting. The painting is estimated to be worth over $100 million, having been stolen from the University of Arizona Museum in 1985. The painting was returned to Tucson. “It’s like righting a wrong. In a sense, you’re stealing something from the elderly who feel like they got away scot-free,” Van Auker said. After this discovery, another one was made a year later, leading right back to the Alters: “Isn’t it strange that if the Alters stole this painting, they don’t seem to have stolen any other paintings, or at least they haven’t stolen any? found? David said to me, “Well, just because they’re not listed in the stolen art database doesn’t mean they weren’t stolen,” Lou Schachter said. Follow us on social networks: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeSchachter is a writer who worked on a story about de Kooning’s recovery. During this time, he went to the Scottsdale auction in 2018, where he saw two paintings. After some research and a conversation with Van Auker, Schachter realized that the two paintings he was seeing were “Aspens” by Victor Higgins and “Oklahoma Cheyenne” by Joseph Henry Sharp, two paintings that came out of the Harwood in 1985 Museum in Taos An old photo of Alter shows him sitting on a chair with both paintings hanging behind him, which exactly match the ones stolen from the museum. Both paintings were sold. “Even though people would say it was a victimless crime, it didn’t harm anyone, well, really. It hurt the University of Arizona Art Museum, it hurt their reputation,” Van Auker said. “I think the biggest challenge.” “What we have is we don’t know where the works are,” said Juniper Leherissey, the director of the Harwood Museum. “Obviously the buyers, whoever purchased the works, did so without knowing that they were stolen works. So it’s not that they weren’t at fault, but it’s possible that they were sold multiple times.” “The loss of these paintings has a big impact on the Taos community. “These two people laid the foundation for what Taos has become an art community. “The return of these works to Taos is even more important than the monetary value,” said Leherissey. Stay up to date on the latest news with the KOAT app. You can download it here.