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The painting is currently in the possession of the family of Friedrich Kadgien, a former financial adviser to Goering.
Experts compared the image to archived records of Ghislandi’s work and noted a striking resemblance (File Photo: Robles Casas & Campos)
An antique painting stolen during World War II from Amsterdam has been rediscovered in Argentina, thanks to a real estate advertisement. The work, titled Portrait of a Lady, by Italian painter Giuseppe Ghislandi, had been missing for over 80 years. Its surprise appearance came when it was spotted hanging above a sofa in a photograph posted online as part of a home sale listing, reported The Guardian.
The painting once belonged to Jacques Goudstikker, a prominent Jewish art collector and dealer based in Amsterdam. Goudstikker was known not only for his extensive art collection but also for aiding fellow Jews in fleeing Nazi persecution. Tragically, he died at sea while attempting to escape to Britain on a cargo ship and is buried in Falmouth.
During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Goudstikker’s vast collection was looted or acquired under duress. At least 800 pieces from his collection were seized by Hermann Goering, the head of the Luftwaffe and one of the Third Reich’s most notorious art plunderers. While approximately 200 works were returned to the family in the early 2000s, many, including Portrait of a Lady, remained unaccounted for.
The painting recently resurfaced when researchers from the Netherlands’ Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE) came across a photo on the website of Robles Casas and Campos, an Argentine estate agency. Experts compared the image to archived records of Ghislandi’s work and noted a striking resemblance in both colour and dimensions, noted Dutch newspaper AD.
“There is no reason to think of why this could be a copy,” said Annelies Kool and Perry Schrier of the RCE. “The dimensions also seem to correspond to the information we have. Final confirmation can come by looking at the back of the painting, there may still be marks or labels that confirm the origin.”
The painting is currently in the possession of the family of Friedrich Kadgien, a former financial adviser to Goering. Kadgien was deeply involved in funding the Nazi war effort, often by seizing art and valuables from Jewish families in occupied territories. After the war, like many Nazi associates, Kadgien fled to Argentina, where he died in 1979. According to CIA records later declassified, US authorities described him as “not a real Nazi, but a snake of the lowest kind” with “large assets, [who] can still be of value to us.”
With the painting’s location now known, Goudstikker’s heirs are preparing legal action to recover the artwork. “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,” said Marei von Saher, 81. “My family aims to bring back every single artwork robbed from Jacques’ collection and restore his legacy.”
Separately, researchers have also identified another missing piece, a floral still life by 17th-century Dutch artist Abraham Mignon, on a social media profile linked to Kadgien’s daughter. The painting is on the official list of looted art, though its current ownership remains under investigation.
Buzz Staff
A team of writers at News18.com bring you stories on what’s creating the buzz on the Internet while exploring science, cricket, tech, gender, Bollywood, and culture.
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