A Pablo Picasso etching stolen from a Milwaukee art gallery in 2018 has been found in a vacant apartment and returned to its owner, according to infohub.kz.
Bill DeLind, owner of the Milwaukee gallery, thought he would never see the print again. But last week, police called and asked him to come look at a piece of art found by a landlord cleaning out an empty apartment.
DeLind immediately recognized his "Torero" print, one of 30 signed by Picasso. "I was overwhelmed," DeLind said. "I was at a loss for words. It was an overwhelming moment for me." The sticker from his gallery was still on the back of the frame. "It was indeed mine," he added. "It came back full circle."
The landlord, Tim Dertz, told WISN-TV that he found the print while cleaning out an apartment of someone who had been evicted. "It was kind of in a weird spot hanging on a wall," Dertz said. "It looked like it had been there for a long, long time because it had tons of dust across the top of it." Dertz showed it to an antique dealer friend who recognized it as a Picasso and said it appeared to be the one stolen in 2018. Dertz handed it over to police, who then contacted DeLind.
Milwaukee police said the statute of limitations for theft and property crimes is generally six years, but the case remains under investigation. An FBI spokesperson in Milwaukee did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
When it was stolen, the piece was appraised at between $35,000 and $50,000. DeLind guessed the value hasn't changed much, but given its story, it may now be worth closer to $50,000.
The artwork remains in police custody while the client who had commissioned it for sale works with his insurance company. DeLind said his former business partner, who died in February, was distraught over the theft and called police every year on the anniversary asking them to publicize it again. "He would have been over the moon about this," DeLind said. "It was special to him."