Stolen Picasso print found in vacant apartment after eight years

A rare Pablo Picasso print, stolen from a Milwaukee art gallery in 2018, was discovered by a landlord in a vacant apartment in 2026 and returned to police, bringing an unexpected resolution to a years-long theft case. The etching, titled Torero, was recovered on August 5 after being found in an unusual hiding spot where it had hung undisturbed and covered in dust.

Milwaukee landlord Tim Dertz located the framed artwork on August 5 while clearing out the apartment of an evicted tenant. He found it hanging in a back bedroom behind a door, a placement he described as odd. Noting its potential value, Dertz consulted an antique dealer friend, who identified the piece as a Picasso and believed it matched a work reported stolen years earlier. Dertz then turned the print over to the Milwaukee Police Department.

The gallery owner from whom it was stolen, Bill DeLind, said police contacted him last week to examine the artwork. He immediately recognized it as the Torero print, one of approximately 30 known to exist. An original sticker from his former business, DeLind Fine Art Appraisals, was still attached to the back of the frame. "I was overwhelmed. I was at a loss for words. It was an...