The Thief Collector

Director Allison Otto leans into one of the most audacious crimes of the 20th century — an art heist, solved 30 years later. The mystery is not what happened or whodunit, but why they did it. Jerry and Rita Alter were inseparable and attractive eccentrics; well-traveled loners devoted to lives seemingly well-lived. Why did they steal Willem de Kooning’s “Woman-Ochre” from the University of Arizona art museum? The answers, emerging from a deep dive into the Alters’ self-documented travels and their estate, presents the viewer with an irresolvable enigma: What could an audacious pair of criminals get away with in their pursuit of adventure?

Colorado Premiere