A 1700s painting stolen by Nazis and missing for decades was found in a real estate ad, only to vanish again. The artwork, linked to a Jewish art dealer's collection seized by Hermann Göring, was discovered in an Argentine house once owned by an SS officer. After a court-ordered house arrest, the painting was returned to authorities, highlighting ongoing efforts to recover Nazi-looted art.
Stolen Nazi-Looted Painting Resurfaces Twice, Solving an 80-Year Mystery
Stolen Painting by Nazis Disappears Twice, Solving an 80-Year Mystery
A 1700s painting stolen by Nazis 80 years ago was missing without a trace until it suddenly appeared in a real estate ad. During a raid on the house, the painting mysteriously vanished again. But now, the mystery seems to have been solved.
“Portrait of a Lady,” painted by Giuseppe Ghislandi in the 1700s, belonged to Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, who died fleeing the Nazis during World War II. Just weeks after Goudstikker's death, Nazi leader Hermann Göring took over his vast art collection through a forced sale for a fraction of its true value.
For over 80 years, the painting was considered missing without a trace. Until it appeared—in a real estate ad.
Found in Former SS Officer's House
The luxury house for sale in the Argentine tourist town of Mar del Plata was previously owned by Friedrich Kadgien, an SS officer and Göring's advisor. When the Third Reich collapsed at the end of World War II, Kadgien, like many prominent Nazis, fled Europe and built a new life in Argentina, where he had two daughters. He died in Buenos Aires in 1978.
It was one of his daughters, Patricia Kadgien, who recently put her father's old house up for sale, and reporters from the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad spotted the painting in the fifth image of the real estate ad.
Argentine authorities were involved. But during a raid on the house, the painting was once again as missing as before.
However, there were visible traces that a painting had hung on the wall.
"The furniture had been moved, and the painting was taken down from the wall. Instead, a large rug was hanging there," explained prosecutor Carlos Martínez, according to the BBC.
Daughter Placed Under House Arrest
On Tuesday, a court ordered three days of house arrest for Patricia Kadgien and her husband, and the next day, the daughter herself handed over the painting to the Argentine authorities.
The prosecutor claims the couple tried to hide that they had the stolen artwork in their possession, and they are to be heard in court on Thursday. Since it involves property looted during the war, there is no statute of limitations.
Many Nazis fled to Argentina with stolen goods such as art, gold, and furniture. Several items still surface in the country. Twenty years ago, Goudstikker's family recovered 202 paintings, but many works are still missing. The only surviving heir, daughter-in-law Marei von Saher, has fought for decades to recover each artwork with the help of her daughter Charlene von Saher, a former British Olympic figure skater.