When the National Gallery of Victoria acquired Picasso’s The Weeping Woman in 1985, it was the most expensive artwork ever purchased by a gallery in Australia. So when it was stolen less than a year later, authorities were desperate to recover the masterpiece.
The theft went unnoticed for two days, as the thieves had left a card suggesting the painting had been removed for maintenance. Staff assumed the initials left on the card – “ACT” – stood for Australian Capital Territory.
The culprits revealed themselves by sending ransom letters. A group going by the name ‘Australian Cultural Terrorists’ wrote a total of six letters addressed to various media organisations and government ministers.
Their demands included increasing funding to the arts and establishing scholarships for young Australian artists. If unmet, the thieves promised to burn The Weeping Woman, which was uninsured.
Neil Holland was the head of the Victoria Police document examination branch at the time. He recalled the moment police asked him to aid the investigation on the Crime Insiders podcast.
“I had just sat down and the phone rang,” Neil said, “and it was the Major Crimes Squad.” They had received a tip off that the painting was in a locker at Spencer Street Station, and needed Neil’s expertise.
“We get to the station, turn the corner, and I’m sure every media from the country was there!”
The thieves wrapped the painting in brown paper and string with a letter attached. Neil was looking for the tiny details that might give away the thieves, like unique indentations in the paper or the type of knotting used to tie the string.
Neil was able to identify that the typeface used in the letter on the painting was the same as that of the previous six ransom letters. The analysis indicated that someone had composed them all on the same typewriter.
Find out how the case was closed on this episode of Crime Insiders:
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