An Argentine judge has ruled that an 18th-century painting stolen by the Nazis must be returned to the heir of a Dutch Jewish art collector. The decision, announced on Friday, ends an eight-decade-long search for the artwork, which was discovered in 2025 in the home of a Nazi officer's daughter in Argentina.
Painting Found in Mar del Plata Home
Portrait of a Lady, by Italian baroque painter Giuseppe Ghislandi, was first recognised by the Dutch newspaper AD in photographs of a house for sale in the seaside resort of Mar del Plata. The painting was hanging above a green sofa in the living room of Patricia Kadgien, whose father, Friedrich Kadgien, was a financier for the Nazi SS paramilitary organisation.
Friedrich Kadgien was one of several high-ranking Nazis who fled to Argentina after the second world war. The painting had been missing since 1940, when it was stolen from the collection of art dealer Jacques Goudstikker following the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands.
Court Ruling and Restitution Agreement
Judge Santiago Inchausti declared: “An order will be issued for the painting to be returned to the heir” of Goudstikker. The ruling followed an agreement reached between the concerned parties.
Patricia Kadgien, who clutched a rosary during the hearing in Mar del Plata, was charged with concealment and placed under house arrest along with her husband when the artwork was identified. The pair agreed to return the painting to Goudstikker’s daughter-in-law and sole heir, Marei von Saher, and give about $3,200 to local hospitals.
Broader Context of Nazi Art Looting
Portrait of a Lady was among more than 1,000 artworks stolen from Goudstikker’s collection after the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands in 1940. Goudstikker fled his country days after the invasion, leaving behind many works which were divided up by top German officials.
After the war, the Dutch state retrieved about 300 works from the collection, most of which it later returned to Goudstikker’s heirs. However, more pieces remain scattered around the world, and this ruling marks a significant step in the ongoing restitution of Nazi-looted art.
