Italian painter Giuseppe Ghislandi’s painting Portrait of a Lady (Contessa Colleoni) appeared in the listing photo of a house for sale in Argentina. The work, looted by the Nazis during World War II and missing for about 80 years, has now officially been handed over to Argentine authorities.
The fate of the work came to light last month following research by the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. The painting, hanging on a chair, was spotted in photos advertising a house in Mar del Plata and was quickly identified. The owner of the house was Patricia Kadgien, daughter of Friedrich Kadgien, who held a high-ranking position during Hitler’s regime and fled to South America after the war.
Following this discovery, federal prosecutors searched the home; however, the painting could not be located immediately. A few days later, Patricia Kadgien and her husband were forced to hand over the work to the prosecutors through their lawyers. The couple was placed under house arrest for three days on the grounds that they had obstructed the investigation. The painting was then shown to the press at the federal prosecutor’s office in Mar del Plata.
The Missing Piece of the Goudstikker Collection
Portrait of a Lady belonged to the collection of Jacques Goudstikker, a Jewish art dealer from Amsterdam. Goudstikker lost his life while trying to escape the Nazi occupation in 1940, and his collection fell into the hands of Hermann Göring. Many important pieces from this collection, which consisted of over 1,000 works, are still missing. The discovery of the Ghislandi painting, which had been untraceable since 1946, once again highlights the long journey of looted artworks.
The prosecutor’s office also seized two paintings believed to date from the 19th century, along with numerous engravings and drawings, during searches of the same house. Experts are investigating whether these works were also looted during the war years. Portrait of a Lady, currently being kept under protection at the federal prosecutor’s office, is expected to be returned to Goudstikker’s heirs following expert examination.
