Picasso etching stolen in 2018 resurfaces in Milwaukee apartment

Landlord found artwork while clearing evicted tenant’s apartment

Milwaukee art gallery owner Bill DeLind said he never expected to see the Pablo Picasso etching print stolen from his shop in 2018 again. Then police called him last week and asked whether he could come take a look at a piece of art a Milwaukee landlord had found while cleaning out a vacant apartment.

DeLind immediately recognized the stolen “Torero” print, one of 30 known to exist signed by Picasso.

“I was overwhelmed,” DeLind said Friday. “I was at a loss for words. It was an overwhelming moment for me.”

The sticker from his DeLind Fine Art Appraisals was still on the back of the framed print, just as it had been placed there in 2018.

“It was indeed mine,” DeLind said. “It came back full circle.”

Milwaukee landlord Tim Dertz told WISN-TV that he found the print while cleaning out the apartment of someone who had been evicted.