Two stolen Western paintings at the center of a mysterious 1985 heist were sold at a Scottsdale auction house. Now, they returned to their home at the Harwood Museum of Art in northern New Mexico.
An FBI investigation helped bring forth the canvas oil paintings called Oklahoma Cheyenne and Aspens by Joseph Henry Sharp and Victor Higgins of the Taos Society of Artists.
The paintings were held in the private home of a couple. After they died, possession of the paintings went to a thrift store in New Mexico before being sold through the Scottsdale Art Auction.
Museum Executive Director Juniper Leherissey says information about the stolen works was brought to her attention by a writer.
“I was a little surprised and dismayed that I hadn’t heard about it. So I called down to my collections manager and he did find documentation that those works were stolen,” she said.
With the paintings recovered, the museum plans to celebrate their return with a public event.
Leherissey reacted positively to the return of the art.
“We’re extremely pleased to have these works back and to have this mystery resolved to have these works come back to the Taos community,” she said.
In a statement to KJZZ, the Scottsdale Art Auction said it turned over all information on the stolen works to the FBI.
