Who were Rita and Jerry Alter? $100M de Kooning painting stolen by notorious art thieves returns to UA museum
TUCSON, ARIZONA: An FBI investigation into notorious art thieves Rita and Jerry Alter found that the pair lived in luxury despite earning a modest salary as teachers in New Mexico. The couple, who stole a $100 million painting by De Kooning, owned other valuable works of art in their home. They reportedly traveled extensively around the world. It has long been speculated that it was they who stole De Kooning's 'Woman Ochre' from the University of Arizona Art Museum in 1985. Both Jerry and Rita are now dead. The painting has now finally returned to the Arizona Museum of Art. The restored painting will be on display at the University of Arizona Museum of Art and open to the public beginning Oct 8.
During the theft, a woman began chatting with a security guard while her male accomplice cut out the painting and fled with it. The thieves were not identified until 2017 when a New Mexico museum curator who had purchased the painting for $2,000 from Rita's estate alerted police to the painting's location. A subsequent investigation revealed that the women also owned other artwork, including two paintings that were to be sold for six figures each, according to the FBI, the Arizona Republic reported.