Recovered de Kooning Woman-Ochre restored for its first exhibition since theft
Getty announced that Woman-Ochre (1954–1955) would be exhibited from 7 June after extensive conservation. Cut from its frame at the University of Arizona Museum of Art in 1985, it was recovered and returned to that museum in August 2017 after an estate-sale purchase in New Mexico. This 2022 report concerns restoration and renewed public display, not a new recovery.
Artwork Details & DocumentationIdentification, ownership history and supporting records
Woman-Ochre
- Artwork title
- Woman-OchreUniversity of Arizona Museum of Art · Woman-Ochre’s Journey ↗ · checked
- Object type
- PaintingUniversity of Arizona Museum of Art · Woman-Ochre’s Journey ↗ · checked
- Maker / attribution
- Willem de KooningUniversity of Arizona Museum of Art · Woman-Ochre’s Journey ↗ · checked
- Creation date / period
- 1954–1955University of Arizona Museum of Art · Woman-Ochre’s Journey ↗ · checked
- Materials & technique
- Oil on canvasUniversity of Arizona Museum of Art · Woman-Ochre’s Journey ↗ · checked
- Measurements
- 40 × 30 in. (101.6 × 76.2 cm)Getty Conservation Institute · Analysis of Woman-Ochre ↗ · checked
- Distinguishing features
- Cut from its frame and torn from its lining canvas during the theft.Getty · Conserving Willem de Kooning’s Woman-Ochre ↗ · checked
Not documented in this record: inscriptions & markings · subject.
Documented ownership history
- 1958
Edward J. Gallagher Jr. donated it to UAMA.
University of Arizona Museum of Art · Woman-Ochre’s Journey ↗ · checked - 2017
Manzanita Ridge dealers bought it from Jerome and Rita Alter’s estate.
University of Arizona Museum of Art · Woman-Ochre’s Journey ↗ · checked - 2017
The dealers returned it to UAMA.
University of Arizona Museum of Art · Woman-Ochre’s Journey ↗ · checked - 2022
Returned to Tucson after conservation at the Getty.
University of Arizona Museum of Art · Woman-Ochre’s Journey ↗ · checked
Only stages supported by the cited sources are shown. This list is not a complete chain of ownership.
Record sources
Identification details follow the Object ID categories where documented. Ownership history is recorded separately; this documentation is not an authentication or a certificate of ownership.
