A painting that was stolen by the Nazis and given to one of Hitler's closest aides from a Jewish art collector and was allegedly discovered at the home of the official’s daughter in Argentina, has now gone missing.
Portrait of a Lady by Giuseppe Ghislandi was originally owned by Dutch Jewish art collector Jacques Goudstikker. It was stolen from him, along with hundreds of other works, by Hermann Göring, the supreme commander of the Nazi air force.
Goudstikker died in 1940 when fleeing the Netherlands, which had just fallen to the Nazis, and the painting had remained missing for over 80 years.
But, thanks to an investigation by Dutch newspaper AD, Portrait of a Lady was apparently discovered at a villa in Parque Luro, Argentina. The luxury property had been put up for sale, and a picture on the estate agent's website seemingly showed the painting hanging on the wall above a sofa.
The property belongs to Patricia Kadgien, daughter of high-ranking Nazi Friedrich Kadgien, who was a close aide to Hitler and was given the painting by Göring before fleeing Germany for Argentina.
When approached by AD, Kadgien said: “I don’t know what information you want from me, and I don’t know what painting you’re talking about either.”
The reported discovery of the lost painting made headlines around the world, prompting the Argentinian police to raid Kadgien's house — only to find that it was gone
Carlos Martínez, a federal prosecutor, said: “The painting is gone.”
Police said: “A change in the house’s decor was noted in relation to the images that had been published in the house’s for-sale advertisement.
“Neither the woman nor her partner made any statement regarding voluntarily handing over the painting or giving any indication of its location.”
Two firearms were also seized at the property.
Peter Schouten from AD claimed that "the painting was removed shortly afterwards or after the media reports about it appeared".
He said: "There’s now a large rug with horses and some nature scenes hanging there, which police say looks like something else used to hang there."
According to The Times, Kadgien has also changed her name on Instagram and on Facebook to her married name.
Marei von Saher, 81, Goudstikker’s daughter-in-law, is unwavering in her commitment to bringing the stolen art home.
“My search for the artworks owned by my father-in-law Jacques Goudstikker started at the end of the 90s, and I won’t give up,” she told AD. “My family aims to bring back every single artwork robbed from Jacques’ collection and restore his legacy.”
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