Stolen Nazi Artwork Vanishes Following Its Discovery in an Argentinian Residence
In a twist of events, a painting by Italian Baroque artist Giuseppe Ghislandi, once owned by Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, has been at the centre of an intriguing investigation. The painting, a portrait of a woman, was reportedly discovered in a real estate listing for a home in Argentina, but subsequently disappeared, triggering a police investigation.
The painting, listed on a database of lost art and currently classified as "unreturned" by the Dutch government, was the focus of a report by the Dutch newspaper AD. Following the publication of this report, Argentine newspaper La NacioΜn reported that the painting had been removed from the living room of the house in question.
The house in Mar del Plata, where the painting was likely hidden, is owned by the daughter of Nazi financial expert Friedrich Gustav Kadgien and her husband. Both are currently under house arrest. The family of Kadgien, whose daughters reportedly live in Buenos Aires, did not provide any information about the painting.
Interpol has also gotten involved in the case, adding an international dimension to the investigation. A federal prosecutor in Argentina stated that the painting is not in the house, but they will continue searching for it. Robles Casas & Campas, the firm marketing the Mar del Plata home, removed the listing after the AD report.
Peter Schouten, another AD reporter, visited the home in Mar del Plata but did not gain access. A post on social media about the missing painting, comparing it to a fork found in a kitchen, has received over 8,000 likes.
Goudstikker, the original owner of the painting, amassed a significant collection of Old Masters paintings and was forced to sell them under duress before his untimely death during a journey in 1940. Some of Goudstikker's paintings have been returned to his family, such as a 16th-century painting attributed to Cornelis van Haarlem in 2023.
The painting ended up in the possession of Friedrich Kadgien, an SS officer who resided in Switzerland by 1945. However, efforts to speak to Kadgien's descendants have been unsuccessful. Kadgien's daughter has changed her name on Instagram following the AD report.
As the investigation continues, the mystery surrounding the stolen Ghislandi painting deepens, with the art world and law enforcement agencies alike keeping a keen eye on developments.
