A stolen Pablo Picasso etching resurfaced in Milwaukee after eight years. The Spanish artist’s signed work, titled “Torero,” remains in police custody.
The Associated Press reported the recovery on Aug. 14. Milwaukee landlord Tim Dertz found the framed print while clearing a vacant apartment after an eviction.
Dertz showed the dusty artwork to an antique dealer, who linked it to the 2018 theft. Afterwards, he gave it to Milwaukee police, who contacted gallery owner and art appraiser Bill DeLind.
DeLind identified “Torero” immediately. He said the appraisal sticker from his former business remained attached to the back of the frame.
According to DeLind, the signed Picasso etching is one of only 30 known impressions. His gallery valued it between $35,000 and $50,000 when it disappeared in 2018.
DeLind estimated that its value remained near the top of that range. However, no new independent appraisal was available.
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Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Police Department told AP that its investigation remained open. Police said Wisconsin’s statute of limitations for theft and property crimes is generally six years.
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Milwaukee office declined to comment, according to AP. The FBI maintains a national database for stolen art and cultural property.
For now, police are holding the print while the client who originally consigned it works with an insurance company, DeLind said. Authorities have not disclosed how the artwork reached the apartment or identified any suspect.
