An original Pablo Picasso etching stolen from a Milwaukee art gallery eight years ago has been recovered after a landlord found it hanging behind a door in an abandoned apartment.
Timothy Dertz made the discovery while cleaning out a unit after a tenant vacated the property. The artwork, positioned in what he considered an unusual location in the farthest room, caught his attention during the routine turnover process.
Suspecting the piece might hold value due to a green crayon signature reading Picasso, Dertz consulted an antique dealer for authentication. Their investigation revealed the work to be Torero, an etching created by the Spanish artist in 1949. Further research uncovered that the piece had been reported stolen from a Milwaukee gallery in 2018, where it carried an estimated value between $35,000 and $50,000.
Concerned about potential legal complications, Dertz immediately contacted the Milwaukee Police Department and shared his findings. In August, authorities reached out to Bill DeLind, the gallery owner from whom the etching had been taken.
DeLind confirmed the authenticity of the recovered artwork and expressed astonishment at its return. "I never expected to see it again," DeLind told the Washington Post. "The fact that it would turn up 8 years later in perfect condition is just jaw-dropping."
Following the 2018 theft, the gallery initially offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the etching's recovery. The reward amount increased periodically before the gallery eventually abandoned hope of locating Torero after receiving insurance compensation for the loss.
The recovery aligns with patterns observed by art crime investigators. The founder of the FBI's Art Crimes Unit has advised theft victims to remain patient, noting that stolen artworks frequently resurface through standard authentication procedures conducted by galleries, auction houses, and appraisers. The meticulous documentation maintained by the art world creates a network that often leads to the reunion of stolen pieces with their rightful owners, even years after the initial theft.
The case remains under investigation by the Milwaukee Police Department. The circumstances surrounding how the etching came to be in the apartment have not been disclosed.