For Star subscribers: Nearly 37 years after a couple stole Willem de Kooning's 'Woman-Ochre' from its frame on the Tucson campus, the priceless painting will be reintroduced at UA Museum of Art exhibit.
After nearly 37 years, the painting that was cut from its frame and stolen over Thanksgiving weekend in 1985 will once again hang in the University of Arizona Museum of Art.
For nearly four decades, the painting's whereabouts was a mystery until that day in August 2017 when Silver City, New Mexico, antiques and furniture dealer David Van Auker called the UA to tell them he had their painting. The painting was hanging behind the bedroom door of the couple's home in the tiny enclave of Cliff, New Mexico, outside of Silver City. Judging from the dust, it had hung there presumably for decades.
Van Auker said he wanted to hang the de Kooning in a guest house on the store's property. He had no idea that the painting was anything more than interesting — an example of post-modernism that fit the style of the guest house that had been part of a former art gallery. But when a customer tipped them off that it was valuable and rare, they started doing some research.His next call, was to the UA museum.
The partners turned the painting over to a lawyer friend for safe-keeping until they could return it to Miller. The lawyer, though, thought the partners should consider asking for compensation before they handed it over. He suggested the partners could demand a million dollars or at the very least a $50,000 donation for the arts program at the local college.
The painting had creases in it from the thief tearing the canvas from its frame and rolling it up. Paint was flecked off and the painting was missing its borders, which were left in the frame. Birkmaier said that judging from the extensive damage to the painting, the thieves were unaware that the painting had a secondary canvas that was used to reinforce the original canvas after it was damaged in 1974. When the thief cut the painting from its frame, they likely expected the painting to slide easily from the frame, “but it was still attached to something,” Birkmaier said, describing the theft as an act of violence.
“Just like with the Jackson Pollock Mural, the painting that was restored at the Getty some years ago, these conservation exhibitions are one of the more popular exhibitions in the museums," Birkmaier said “Part of the excitement is also due to the crazy story of the theft and the recovery. We are just so happy that we are able to bring it back to life basically. It looked pretty sad when it first came to the Getty.
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