When an original Picasso disappeared from a Milwaukee gallery in 2018, owners wondered if they would ever see it again. But in August 2026, a man turned the art over to the police. When he asked an antique dealer to take a look, the two men noticed a signature in green crayon: ‘Picasso’, reported Smithsonian Magazine.
Timothy Dertz noticed an intriguing artwork on the wall of his apartment after his tenant moved out.
When the two dug deeper, they realised that the artwork was a 1949 Pablo Picasso etching called Torero, Spanish for ‘bullfighter’. It had been missing from Milwaukee’s DeLind Fine Art Appraisals since February 2018. At the time of its disappearance, it was valued at $35,000 to $50,000. The gallery announced a $5,000 reward for the piece’s return a few weeks later. When no new leads materialised, they raised the reward to $7,500 and then $10,000. Soon, Dertz handed over the artwork to the Milwaukee Police Department on August 5th, 2026.
He examined the artwork and confirmed that it was the real deal.
The “Torero” print, one of 30 of its kind, was originally commissioned for sale at a gallery owned by Bill DeLind, who told The Associated Press Friday that when police called him to let him know it had been found, “I was overwhelmed. DeLind told WITI-TV that Goforth “was so invested in this particular piece. Torero disappeared more than eight years ago, and police told WISN-TV that the statute of limitations for theft and property crimes in Wisconsin is usually six years. When Dertz learned of the theft, he became anxious about his unwitting involvement, spending a night pacing and “freaking out,” his girlfriend, Natassha Delgado, as per the Washington Post. “I never expected to see it again,” DeLind tells the Washington Post’s Victoria Craw and Grey Battle. “The fact that it would turn up eight years later in perfect condition is just jaw-dropping. ”
It was an obsession with him that he wanted it back. Every year, on the anniversary of the theft, DeLind and Goforth checked in with the police or contacted local media outlets, hoping to keep the search active. Even so, they say that the incident is still under investigation. In a statement, the Milwaukee Police Department thanked Dertz, who “recognised the etching print and did the right thing. Officers contacted Bill DeLind, the art dealer who had co-owned the gallery.
The late co-owner of DeLind’s gallery, Michael Goforth, was deeply invested in trying to recover the print prior to his death earlier this year.