Milwaukee Landlord Finds Stolen Pablo Picasso Print in Vacant Apartment

A rare Pablo Picasso etching stolen from a Milwaukee art gallery in 2018 has been recovered after a local landlord found the artwork hanging in a vacant south side apartment. The 1949 piece, valued between $35,000 and $50,000, was turned into police, with authorities confirming the six-year theft statute of limitations has passed.

The Discovery Inside a Milwaukee Apartment

A Milwaukee landlord cleaning out a vacant apartment stumbled upon a missing art piece that had vanished eight years prior. Tim Dertz entered the rental property to clear out the unit following an eviction. Inside a bedroom, tucked behind a door and coated in dust, hung a framed print.

The apartment itself reeked of cat urine with empty pizza boxes piled waist-high from the floor. Yet amid the squalor, the artwork remained untouched. Dertz told local reporters that the piece looked like it had hung in the exact same spot for a long, long time given the heavy layer of dust across the top.

Unsure of what he was looking at, Dertz showed the frame to an antique dealer friend. That friend immediately recognized the signature and suspected it matched a high-profile gallery theft reported years earlier. Dertz handed the artwork over to the Milwaukee Police Department.

Authentication and Gallery Return Full Circle

Police contacted gallery owner William DeLind to inspect the recovered item. When DeLind examined the frame, he found a familiar marker still attached to the back.

Milwaukee Landlord Finds Stolen Pablo Picasso Print in Vacant Apartment — Photo: FOX6 News Milwaukee

Created at Mourlot Studio in Paris using a sugar lift etching process, the piece is number nine of 30 in existence signed by the artist.

DeLind expressed profound shock at seeing the masterpiece again after nearly a decade.

It’s been 8 years. Never thought I’d see it again.

The gallery owner noted that the print appeared to have suffered no major physical trauma during its years away from public view. It was in perfect shape, DeLind observed, noting it likely hung on a wall the entire duration without being bounced around in transit.

The 2018 Daytime Mystery at the Watts Building

The recovery closes an unusual chapter that began on Feb. 16, 2018, when the print vanished from the lobby of the Watts building on Jefferson Street in downtown Milwaukee. At the time, the gallery displayed the framing in an open area visible to visitors.

Michael Goforth, DeLind’s late business partner, discovered the disappearance during lunch hours. Goforth recalled stepping off the elevator, glancing toward the display, and realizing the Picasso was missing.

He rushed upstairs to ask DeLind if the piece was out on approval. The resulting realization that a theft had occurred left both men stunned. Investigators determined the theft took place within a narrow three-and-a-half-hour window between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Despite the block featuring numerous security setups—including camera coverage from nearby establishments like the Belmont Tavern mapped by local investigators—not a single camera captured an image of a suspect leaving with the framed print.

Legal Status and the Shadow of Lost Time

While the print is back in safe hands, criminal charges in connection with the theft are off the table. The Milwaukee Police Department stated that the statute of limitations for felony theft is six years and has already expired. Federal investigators with the FBI declined to comment on the ongoing property status.

Man finds stolen Picasso etching in Milwaukee property eight years after gallery theft

The recovery brings bittersweet reflections for DeLind, whose former partner, Goforth, passed away earlier in the year. Goforth had maintained an obsession with recovering the piece, calling police on every anniversary of the crime.

Ownership of the recovered etching now rests with the insurance company that handled the original 2018 payout. DeLind stated he will coordinate with insurers in the coming days to determine whether the gallery will display the print again, return it to the market, or hand it over entirely.