See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy EMMA RICHTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 22:38 BST, 24 August 2026 | Updated: 22:39 BST, 24 August 2026
A Wisconsin art dealer got the surprise of a lifetime after a $50,000 Picasso print that was stolen from his gallery years ago was miraculously found and returned to him. Bill DeLind, the owner of Milwaukee-based DeLind Fine Art Appraisals, hadn't heard anything about the print since it was snatched from his gallery walls in 2018. He reported it to the police, but nothing ever came of the stolen 1949 Torero print, which is one of only 30 that have been signed by Pablo Picasso. But, in a stunning turn of events, a landlord discovered the piece inside a vacant apartment he was cleaning after evicting former tenants. The landlord, Tim Dertz, said the artwork was simply hanging on a wall inside the unit. 'It looked like it had been there a long time because it had tons of dust across the top of it,' Dertz told the Associated Press. Dertz then showed the print to an antique dealer who recognized the Picasso print as matching the one that was stolen from DeLind all those years ago. The landlord then turned the piece over to police – something that DeLind is exceptionally grateful for. Bill DeLind, the owner of DeLing Fine Art Appraisals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, couldn't believe it when he heard a rare Picasso print that was stolen from him in 2018 had been found The piece of art was discovered hanging on a wall inside an apartment that landlord Tim Dertz was cleaning after tenants got evicted'When it disappeared, it was such a sort of personal insult. It just made me feel so bad. So it was just the opposite when it came back. It's like, there are good people in the world,' he told the outlet. 'They didn't have to take it to the police station to check it out, but they were good, honest people. The world needs more people like that.' When he got the call from police about the discovery, DeLind said he was 'in disbelief.' 'It was indeed mine. It came back full circle,' he continued. DeLind also noted that his former business partner was saddened by the theft, so every year on the anniversary of its disappearance, he would contact the police to share information about the crime in hopes that it would finally be solved. When it was taken in 2018, the print was appraised at between $35,000 and $50,000. DeLind thinks it is still worth that amount todayBut now that it has been recovered, DeLind said he knows his late friend would have been delighted. 'He would be over the moon about this. It was so special to him,' he shared. When it was taken in 2018, the print was appraised at between $35,000 and $50,000. DeLind believes the value is similar today, but likely closer to the $50,000 mark.
