Missing Picasso Found by Landlord
A Milwaukee landlord discovered an original Pablo Picasso etching, missing since 2018, in a vacant apartment. The artwork, 'Torero,' valued at up to $50,000, was returned to police on August 5.
Timothy Dertz found a dusty print of a bullfighter in a back bedroom of his Milwaukee apartment after his tenant moved out. The landlord and an antique dealer noticed a green crayon signature reading 'Picasso,' leading them to identify the work as a 1949 etching called Torero that vanished from DeLind Fine Art Appraisals in 2018.
Dertz handed the artwork to the Milwaukee Police Department on August 5. Gallery co-owner Bill DeLind examined it and confirmed its authenticity, stating he never expected to see it again. The print was valued between $35,000 and $50,000 at the time it disappeared.
The Gallery Theft
The etching was stolen on February 16, 2018. DeLind had seen it hanging that morning. His business partner, the late Michael Goforth, noticed it missing hours later. "Somebody walked in in the middle of the day and picked a Picasso off the wall and walked out with it," DeLind said. The small gallery had no working security cameras.
The theft was deeply upsetting for the owners, who described their open-door policy to the community. Goforth called the act "violating" and "hurtful." The gallery initially offered a $5,000 reward for the piece's return, later raising it to $7,500 and then $10,000. For years, on each anniversary of the theft, the owners contacted police or local media to keep the search active.
The Recovery and Investigation
Upon learning the print was stolen, Dertz became anxious, spending a night pacing and "freaking out," according to his girlfriend. He turned it over to authorities the next morning. The Milwaukee Police Department thanked Dertz for recognizing the etching and doing the right thing.
Police say the statute of limitations for theft in Wisconsin is usually six years, but the incident remains under investigation. Robert Wittman, founder of the FBI's art crime team, advised that stolen artworks sometimes resurface, suggesting owners should "sit tight" as items often eventually show up.
The Artwork's Future
DeLind says an insurance company that paid for the loss now owns the Picasso. However, he hopes to be allowed to hang Torero in the gallery again, even temporarily, so visitors can see it restored to its place on the wall. The artist's fascination with bullfighting began in childhood after his father took him to his first bullfight in 1889, making it a prominent theme in his work.
