Stolen Picasso Found After 6 Years in Dusty Apartment

When Bill DeLind got a call from Milwaukee police last week, he never expected to see his stolen Picasso again after six years of silence.

A local landlord named Tim Dertz had found the missing artwork while cleaning out a vacant apartment following an eviction. The framed print was hanging in an odd spot, covered in layers of dust that told the story of years in hiding.

Dertz showed it to an antique dealer friend who recognized the piece as a Picasso and remembered reading about the 2018 theft from DeLind Fine Art Appraisals. He immediately turned it over to police.

When detectives asked DeLind to come identify the artwork, he was stunned. The original sticker from his gallery was still on the back, exactly where he'd placed it years earlier.

"I was overwhelmed," DeLind said. "It came back full circle."

The Torero print is one of only 30 known copies signed by Picasso himself, valued between $35,000 and $50,000. DeLind estimates its unique story might now push the value closer to the higher end.

The artwork was being sold on commission for a client when it disappeared in 2018. That client and their insurance company are now working out the details while police continue investigating.

Why This Inspires

The recovery brings bittersweet closure for DeLind. His former business partner, who died in February, had never given up hope of finding the stolen Picasso.

Every year on the anniversary of the theft, he called police asking them to publicize the case again. His dedication kept the dream of recovery alive even when it seemed impossible.

"He would have been over the moon about this," DeLind said. "It was special to him."

Sometimes the things we think are lost forever are just waiting for the right moment to come home.