— Argentine federal authorities announced they have recovered an 18th-century painting by Italian portraitist Giuseppe Ghislandi, long missing after Nazi looting, after the work surfaced in an online real estate listing and was traced to properties in Mar del Plata.
Key Takeaways
- The recovered work is identified as “Portrait of a Lady,” dated c.1710 and attributed to Giuseppe Ghislandi.
- Argentine prosecutors displayed the painting in Mar del Plata on Sept. 3, 2025 after seizing it from the descendants of a former Nazi official.
- The painting originally belonged to Dutch-Jewish dealer Jacques Goudstikker and vanished during World War II after forced sale to Hermann Göring.
- Dutch journalists first located a color photo of the portrait in a real estate listing, prompting Argentine investigations.
- Authorities placed Patricia Kadgien and her husband under house arrest on charges of concealment and obstruction; a hearing was scheduled for Thursday.
- An invited art expert dated the portrait to 1710 and estimated its value at roughly $50,000.
- Several properties tied to the Kadgien family were searched and other artworks seized for examination.
Verified Facts
Argentine federal prosecutors presented the Ghislandi portrait at a press event in the coastal city of Mar del Plata on Sept. 3, 2025. Federal prosecutor Daniel Adler said the public display followed work by journalists and community members who drew attention to the image and location of the painting.
Dutch reporting revealed the first known color photograph of the portrait after it appeared in an online real estate listing posted by one of the daughters of Friedrich Kadgien, a former Nazi officer who fled to Argentina and died in 1978. The listing was removed within hours of the Dutch report.
Investigators searched multiple homes linked to Kadgien’s daughters in Mar del Plata and seized paintings and engravings believed to date from the 1940s. Authorities say Patricia Kadgien and her husband were placed under house arrest pending a judicial hearing on charges of concealment and obstruction of justice.
An art specialist assisting the inquiry, Ariel Bassano, said the painting is in good condition for its age, dated it to about 1710 and offered an estimated market value near $50,000. Officials said the portrait is being kept in a secure chamber while provenance and legal ownership are clarified.
The work is identified as a full-length portrait of the Countess Colleoni, notable for its ink-black hair and pastel-embroidered dress. Historical records connect the painting’s disappearance to the wartime dispersal of Jacques Goudstikker’s collection, much of which was forcibly sold or seized and later entered Hermann Göring’s holdings.
Context & Impact
The recovery adds to ongoing restitution efforts for artworks taken from Jewish owners and dealers during the Nazi era. Heirs of Jacques Goudstikker have long pursued the return of roughly 1,100 missing works linked to his collection.
Argentina has a complex postwar history as a destination for several former Nazi officials and collaborators. Discoveries like this often rely on international reporting and cross-border legal cooperation to trace provenance and secure returns.
Practical consequences include potential legal claims by heirs, criminal inquiries into concealment or trafficking, and institutional reviews of auction and sale records tied to the Kadgien family and related transactions.
Official Statements
“We are showing these images so the community that helped prompt the investigation can see the work,”
Daniel Adler, Federal Prosecutor, Mar del Plata
Unconfirmed
- The precise chain of custody explaining how the painting came into the Kadgien family’s possession remains under investigation.
- Details about any intermediaries, sales records, or export paperwork linking the portrait to postwar transfers have not been released publicly.
Bottom Line
The recovery of Giuseppe Ghislandi’s “Portrait of a Lady” highlights the continuing global effort to identify and return artworks looted during World War II. With the painting now secured by Argentine authorities, provenance research and legal processes will determine its next steps and whether it will be returned to the heirs of Jacques Goudstikker.