Picasso print discovered in abandoned apartment eight years after gallery heist

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By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER

Published: 01:22 EDT, 15 August 2026 | Updated: 02:27 EDT, 15 August 2026

A Picasso print was found eight years after being stolen from a Wisconsin gallery in an abandoned apartment. 

The stolen 'Torero' print, one of 30 known to exist signed by the artist, was discovered by a landlord after it was stolen from Bill DeLind's Milwaukee gallery in 2018. 

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

Tim Dertz, the landlord who discovered the stolen piece, told WISN that he uncovered the print when clearing out the apartment of an evicted tenant. 

'It was in a back bedroom behind a door,' he told the outlet. 'A very odd placement for such a piece of art. I guess we know why now.' 

'It was kind of in a weird spot hanging on a wall. It looked like it had been there for a long, long time because it had tons of dust across the top of it,' the landlord added. 

The recovered artwork still had the DeLind Fine Art Appraisals sticker on the back.

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

The stolen 'Torero' print, one of 30 known to exist signed by the artist, was discovered by a landlord after it was stolen from Bill DeLind's Milwaukee gallery in 2018

In 2018, the piece was valued at $35,000 to $50,000 and displayed on consignment and is now in police custody while the client who commissioned it for sale works with his insurance 

Tim Dertz, the landlord who discovered the stolen piece, told WISN that he uncovered the print when clearing out the apartment of an evicted tenant

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Dertz said he showed it to a friend, who is an antique dealer, and recognized it as a Picasso.

The friend said it appeared to be the one DeLind reported stolen in 2018, and Dertz handed it over to police, who then contacted the art appraiser. 

'When they called me, I was in disbelief,' DeLind said. 

DeLind said that his former business partner, Michael Goforth, who died in February, was in pieces over the theft and called police every year in hopes of finding it. 

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

In 2018, the piece was valued at $35,000 to $50,000 and displayed on consignment, according to Art Forum. 

'This was a very personal affront when it was taken,' DeLind told the outlet. 

'And now, it's very personal coming back.' 

DeLind, seen above, said that his former business partner, Michael Goforth who died in February, was in pieces over the theft and called police every year in hopes of finding it

The piece of art remains in police custody while the client who commissioned it for sale with his art gallery works out the situation with his insurance company.  

The Milwaukee Police Department told The Associated Press on Friday that the statute of limitations for theft and property crimes is generally six years but the case remains under investigation. 

The Daily Mail reached out to the Milwaukee Police Department for comment.