Stolen Picasso artwork found in Milwaukee apartment

Bill DeLind, an art dealer, experienced a moment of profound disbelief and joy when police contacted him about a stolen Picasso print. The artwork, "Torero," one of only 30 known signed prints by the artist, had vanished from his Milwaukee gallery in 2018.

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I was overwhelmed. I was at a loss for words. It was an overwhelming moment for me.

DeLind had considered the print lost forever. However, a local landlord, Tim Dertz, discovered it while clearing out an evicted tenant's apartment. The print was hanging on a wall, covered in dust, suggesting it had been there for a long time. Dertz, with the help of an antique dealer friend, identified it as the stolen Picasso and turned it over to the police.

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It was indeed mine. It came back full circle.

"I was overwhelmed," DeLind stated, describing the moment he recognized the print, complete with the sticker from his gallery still on the back. He noted that his former business partner, who died earlier this year, had been particularly distressed by the theft and had contacted the police annually to keep the case active. "He would have been over the moon about this," DeLind added.

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It was kind of in a weird spot hanging on a wall. It looked like it had been there for a long, long time because it had tons of dust across the top of it.

The Milwaukee Police Department confirmed the case remains under investigation, with the statute of limitations for theft generally being six years. The FBI declined to comment. The print, appraised between $35,000 and $50,000 in 2018, may now be worth closer to $50,000 due to its remarkable recovery story. It remains with the police while the client who commissioned its sale works with their insurance company.

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When they called me, I was in disbelief.