Forty years after being stolen right off the wall at the Harwood Museum of Art, paintings by Victor Higgins and Joseph Henry Sharp were returned to the museum in a ceremony on May 22 in Taos, New Mexico.
Victor Higgins (1884-1949), Aspens, ca. 1932, oil on canvas, 12 x 14 in. Collection of Harwood Museum of Art.
The artworks, Higgins’ Aspens and Sharp’s Oklahoma Cheyenne, were stolen from the museum in 1985, presumably by Rita and Jerry Alter of Cliff, New Mexico. The theft was similar to the 1985 theft of Willem de Kooning’s Woman-Ocher from the University of Arizona Museum of Art in Tucson, Arizona. (The de Kooning was returned to Tucson in 2017.) The Alters were never charged with any crimes because they both died before it was discovered the three works were part of their large art collection. Family photos released by the FBI show the paintings on display in the their home. The “Harwood Heist” case was broken open largely due to the research by Los Angeles-based investigative reporter Lou Schachter, who discovered the location of the stolen paintings and then urged the FBI to reopen its cold case on the theft.
Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953), Oklahoma Cheyenne (aka Indian Boy in Full Dress), ca. 1915, oil on canvas, 18 x 12 in. Gift of Read Mullan. Collection of Harwood Museum of Art.
“It’s a joy—and a profound relief—to welcome these works by Victor Higgins and Joseph Henry Sharp back to the Harwood,” says Harwood executive director Juniper Leherissey. “This homecoming means so much—not just to our staff, board and members, but to the entire arts and cultural community of Taos. We can’t wait to celebrate their return with everyone.”
Both paintings are now on view at the museum in Taos. —
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