Old Master Painting Linked to Nazis Found in Argentine Listing

A portrait by the Italian master Giuseppe Ghislandi, looted by the Nazis over 80 years ago, has been identified in a property listing in Argentina. The painting, titled Portrait of a Lady (Contessa Colleoni), surfaced on the website of an estate agent in a seaside town near Buenos Aires, raising questions about its journey since being stolen from Jacques Goudstikker, a prominent Jewish art dealer in Amsterdam.

The Dutch newspaper AD reported that the painting was discovered hanging above a sofa in a residential listing by the agency Robles Casas & Campos. This revelation follows an extensive investigation into the painting’s history, which is documented in a database of lost art and is classified as “unreturned” by the Dutch culture ministry after World War II.

Goudstikker fled the Netherlands in May 1940, shortly before the Nazi invasion. Tragically, he died during his escape, falling from a ship and sustaining fatal injuries. Following his death, the Nazis forcibly acquired his extensive collection of over 1,100 artworks, purchasing them at a mere fraction of their true value. Among these was Portrait of a Lady, which was sold to Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring.

After the war, some artworks were recovered and returned to Goudstikker’s only surviving heir, his daughter-in-law Marei von Saher, in 2006. However, Portrait of a Lady was not among them. Recent investigations by AD uncovered documents indicating that the painting was in the possession of Friedrich Kadgien, a Nazi official and aide to Göring. Kadgien fled to Switzerland in 1945 and ultimately settled in Argentina, where he established a family and died in 1978.

Despite attempts over several years to contact Kadgien’s daughters about the painting, efforts were unsuccessful. A reporter from AD, Peter Schouten, noted that while he could see movement in the house, no one answered the door. Schouten later discovered the property listing and its striking interior photographs.

The investigative team, including art historians and cultural heritage experts, expressed confidence that the painting in the listing is indeed the missing work by Ghislandi. Bram de Klerck from Radboud University in Nijmegen stated that the composition appeared “identical” and dimensions matched earlier photographs, although he acknowledged that further examination is necessary for definitive confirmation.

Meanwhile, researchers from the Dutch government’s cultural heritage service, Annelies Kool and Perry Schrier, indicated that they believed they had identified another missing artwork linked to Kadgien, a still life by Abraham Mignon, found in a social media post by one of his daughters.

The daughters of Kadgien have refrained from engaging with inquiries about the painting. One reportedly stated, “I don’t know what information you want from me and I don’t know what painting you are talking about.”

Legal representatives for the Goudstikker estate confirmed that they would pursue efforts to recover the painting. Marei von Saher, now 81, remains resolute in her quest to reclaim all artworks stolen from her late father-in-law’s collection. “My family aims to bring back every single artwork robbed from Jacques’ collection and to restore his legacy,” she stated.

As the investigation unfolds, the potential recovery of Portrait of a Lady highlights the ongoing efforts to address the injustices of art looted during the Holocaust. The case serves as a reminder of the complex history surrounding such works and the importance of their rightful return to the heirs of their original owners.