Art dealer stunned after $50,000 Picasso print stolen from his gallery years ago found on wall of Midwestern apartment after tenant evicted

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Art dealer stunned after $50,000 Picasso print stolen from his gallery years ago found on wall of Midwestern apartment after tenant evicted

Daily Mail · 1 hour ago

A Wisconsin art dealer has been reunited with a rare Picasso print worth up to $50,000 after it was stolen from his gallery in 2018 and later discovered hanging in a Milwaukee-area apartment. Bill DeLind, owner of DeLind Fine Art Appraisals, had reported the theft to police at the time but the case went unsolved for years, leaving him deeply upset over the loss. The print's unexpected recovery came about entirely by chance, after a landlord clearing out a vacant flat spotted it and had it identified.

The artwork is a 1949 Torero print, one of only 30 signed by Pablo Picasso, and had been appraised at between $35,000 and $50,000 when it disappeared. Landlord Tim Dertz found it dusty and undisturbed on a wall after evicting tenants, and an antique dealer he consulted recognised it as the stolen piece before it was handed to police and returned to DeLind. DeLind said the print held particular sentimental value for his late business partner, who had contacted police every year on the anniversary of the theft, and that he was "in disbelief" to finally get it back.

  • Stolen $50,000 Picasso print found in evicted tenant's flat
  • Landlord spotted dusty artwork, had it identified by an antique dealer
  • Milwaukee dealer Bill DeLind reunited with print stolen in 2018

Art Culture World

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