After decades missing, the FBI recovers stolen Taos paintings, returning two cultural treasures to the Harwood Museum in a major breakthrough.

FBI Recovers Stolen Taos Paintings After Four Decades

BY ARTCENTRON ART NEWS

In a historic moment for the art world and the cultural heart of Taos, New Mexico, the FBI recovers stolen Taos paintings more than 40 years after they vanished. The recovered artworks—Aspens (c. 1932) by Victor Higgins and Oklahoma Cheyenne aka Indian Boy in Full Dress (c. 1915) by Joseph Henry Sharp—were taken from the Harwood Museum of Art in March 1985, during a time when the museum functioned primarily as a public library with a modest gallery upstairs.

Their long-awaited reappearance marks the culmination of years of investigative work, reignited by a tip from investigative journalist Lou Schachter in late 2023. The recovery of these cultural masterpieces is not only a law enforcement success but also a deeply emotional moment for the Taos Arts community and American art history.

The 1985 Theft: A Cultural Loss That Shook Taos

In March 1985, during a transitional period for the Harwood Museum, two significant artworks disappeared without a trace. With limited security and little national attention, the theft of Higgins’s Aspens and Sharp’s Oklahoma Cheyenne remained unresolved for decades. The incident faded from public memory—until the FBI recovered stolen Taos paintings nearly four decades later.

Both Higgins and Sharp were founding members of the Taos Society of Artists, a group integral to defining the artistic legacy of New Mexico. Their works are emblematic of the American Southwest, and their loss was a blow to both regional heritage and national cultural preservation.

A Breakthrough After Decades: The Investigative Spark

The turning point came in 2023, when Lou Schachter, a Los Angeles-based investigative reporter, contacted Juniper Leherissey, executive director of the Harwood Museum. Schachter had uncovered a crucial visual clue—a still image from a 2022 documentary about art thieves Rita and Jerry Alter showing the missing paintings hanging in their Cliff, New Mexico home.

This discovery prompted the formation of an Art Recovery Task Force, co-led by Leherissey and supported by museum archivists and legal experts. Their collaborative efforts ultimately helped bring the case to the attention of the FBI. Less than a year later, the FBI recovers stolen Taos paintings, making headlines and restoring a vital piece of Taos history.

The Trail of the Stolen Art

Further investigation revealed that the paintings had resurfaced in 2018, sold through the Scottsdale Auction House under different titles. Aspens had been renamed Fall Landscape and sold for $93,600. Sharp’s Indian Boy in Full Dress was mislabeled as Indian in a War Bonnet and fetched $52,650.

The misattributed titles helped the works avoid detection in stolen art databases. However, the task force’s compiled evidence and historical documentation played a crucial role in assisting the FBI in recovering stolen Taos paintings that had been overlooked for decades.

Federal Involvement and Cultural Justice

With mounting evidence, the FBI officially took over the case in April 2024. Working with art experts and Harwood Museum records, agents quickly verified the paintings’ authenticity. On May 12, 2025, the FBI recovers stolen Taos paintings and returned them to the Harwood Museum of Art—where they were welcomed with celebration.

At a recent public unveiling event, Taos residents, art historians, and local leaders came together to commemorate the return of these long-lost treasures.

“It’s a joy—and a profound relief—to welcome these works by Victor Higgins and Joseph Henry Sharp back to the Harwood,” said Leherissey at the celebration. She shared that she had visited the Harwood Public Library as a child, making the homecoming deeply personal. The FBI recovered stolen Taos paintings, but for the Taos community, it also recovered part of its soul.

A Legal Milestone in Art Recovery

Interestingly, the theft occurred nine years before the passage of the Theft of Major Artwork statute (18 U.S.C. § 668), which made stealing artwork worth over $5,000 from museums a federal crime. Although this law didn’t apply retroactively, its framework helped guide the recovery effort.

The Return of Taos Treasures: Celebrating the Homecoming

The recovered artworks are now the centerpiece of a special Harwood Museum exhibition titled The Return of Taos Treasures, featuring both Aspens and Oklahoma Cheyenne. Visitors can also view additional works by Higgins and Sharp, which highlight their contributions to the Taos Society of Artists and American art.

Now that the FBI has recovered stolen Taos paintings, the exhibition serves not only as an artistic showcase but also as a symbol of resilience, vigilance, and community pride.

Taos Stolen Paintings Recovered: Art, Justice, and Memory

The story of how the FBI recovers stolen Taos paintings is more than an art-world headline—it’s a powerful testament to cultural justice, collaborative persistence, and the importance of safeguarding heritage. Through the tireless work of museum leaders, journalists, and federal investigators, Taos has reclaimed a vital chapter of its artistic story.