Picasso print stolen in Milwaukee in 2018 found by landlord cleaning apartment

Milwaukee art dealer Bill DeLind had assumed the Picasso print stolen from his gallery in 2018 was lost for good. Last week, however, police called and asked him to examine an artwork that a local landlord had discovered while clearing out a vacant apartment.

DeLind immediately recognized the piece as the stolen "Torero" print, one of just 30 signed Picasso copies known to exist. A sticker from his business, DeLind Fine Art Appraisals, was still attached to the back of the frame, exactly where it had been placed in 2018. DeLind described being overwhelmed and at a loss for words when he learned the piece had resurfaced.

Discovered in a vacant apartment

Landlord Tim Dertz told local station WISN-TV that he found the print while clearing out an apartment after a tenant had been evicted. He said the artwork was hanging in an odd spot on the wall and was covered in dust, suggesting it had been there a long time. Dertz showed it to a friend who deals in antiques, who recognized it as a Picasso and suspected it was the piece reported stolen in 2018. Dertz then turned it over to police, who contacted DeLind.

Case remains open

Milwaukee police said the statute of limitations for theft and property crimes is generally six years, but the case is still under investigation. An FBI spokesperson in Milwaukee declined to comment. At the time of the theft, the print was appraised between $35,000 and $50,000; DeLind said its value likely hasn't changed much, though its story could push it closer to the higher end.

The artwork currently remains with Milwaukee police while the client who had originally consigned it to the gallery works out the matter with his insurance company. DeLind noted that his former business partner, who died in February, had been deeply troubled by the theft and called police every year on its anniversary asking them to publicize the case again in hopes the print would eventually be recovered.