An Italian master painting stolen by the Nazis from a Jewish art dealer in Amsterdam has been spotted on the website of an estate agent selling a house in Argentina, over 80 years after it was taken.
The painting, titled Portrait of a Lady by Giuseppe Ghislandi, was seen hanging above a sofa in a property near Buenos Aires once owned by a senior Nazi official who fled to South America after World War II.
The artwork, which features on a database of lost wartime art, was traced when the house was put up for sale by the official's daughter, reports Dutch newspaper AD.
The painting is among many looted from art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, who was active in helping other Jews escape during the war.
Goudstikker died at sea while trying to escape from the Netherlands, and his collection was seized in a forced sale by high-ranking Nazis after his death, including Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring.
Some pieces were ultimately recovered and are housed in Amsterdam's Rijkmuseum, while Goudstikker's sole surviving heir, Marei von Saher, reclaimed 202 pieces in 2006.
This specific portrait remained elusive until now—a recent investigation by AD uncovered that it had likely been in the possession of Friedrich Kadgien, an SS officer and financial aide to Göring, who lived in Argentina after the war.
Discussions surrounding the legitimacy and methods of acquisition for artworks like this have renewed focus on art restitution, with efforts escalating to reclaim pieces rightfully belonging to their original owners.
As advancements in technology and societal pressures continue to shape dialogues around restitution, this incident highlights the complexities involved in reclaiming heritage lost to theft during wartime.
