Nazi-Looted Italian Masterpiece Vanishes from Argentine Home Following Discovery in Real Estate Listing

Buenos Aires, Argentina – An 18th-century Italian masterpiece, "Portrait of a Lady" by Giuseppe Ghislandi, believed to have been looted by Nazis during World War II, has vanished from a home in Mar del Plata, Argentina, following its recent discovery in an online real estate listing. Police conducted a raid on the property, owned by the daughter of a former high-ranking Nazi official, but failed to locate the artwork, seizing only two weapons. Federal prosecutor Carlos Martínez indicated that authorities are treating the incident as an alleged cover-up of smuggling.

The painting originally belonged to Jacques Goudstikker, a prominent Dutch-Jewish art dealer whose extensive collection was seized after the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands in 1940. Wartime documents suggest the artwork came into the possession of Friedrich Kadgien, an SS officer and financial aide to Hermann Göring, who fled to Argentina after the war and died in 1979. This historical context highlights Argentina's role as a refuge for many Nazi fugitives.

Dutch investigative journalists from Algemeen Dagblad (AD) located the long-lost portrait while reviewing a real estate advertisement for a property belonging to Kadgien's daughter, Patricia Kadgien, near Buenos Aires. The image showed the Ghislandi painting prominently displayed above a sofa, sparking renewed efforts for its restitution. The Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE) expressed near certainty regarding the painting's authenticity based on archival records.

Following the discovery, Argentine authorities launched an investigation, leading to the raid on Kadgien's daughter's home. However, police found a tapestry in the painting's place, with marks suggesting a recent removal. Patricia Kadgien and her husband have since been placed under house arrest and are expected to face charges of “concealment of theft in the context of genocide” for obstructing the investigation.

Marei von Saher, Goudstikker's 81-year-old daughter-in-law and sole heir, expressed her family's determination to reclaim the painting, stating, "My family's goal is to locate and recover each and every artwork looted from Jacques Goudstikker's collection and restore his legacy." The ongoing search underscores the persistent challenges in recovering Nazi-looted art, often hidden for decades in unexpected locations. As Yashar Ali noted in a recent social media post, regarding a Nazi-stolen painting ending up in Argentina, it was "> in the most expected place!"