Argentina: Couple to Surrender Nazi‑Looted Painting to Heir
A painting seized by the Nazis more than eight decades ago is finally returning to the rightful heir, thanks to an agreement that also saw criminal charges against the owners dropped.
The work—known as the Portrait of a Lady or Contessa Colleoni—was first spotted in August 2025 in photographs attached to an online property listing near Buenos Aires. A quick online search revealed the image was part of a higher‑value piece that had vanished in 1940 when the Nazis plundered the collection of Dutch Jewish dealer Jacques Goudstikker.
The house in question belonged to Patricia Kadgien, daughter of Friedrich Kadgien who was a high‑ranking adviser to Hermann Göring, a key architect of Nazi art theft. In September 2025 Kadgien and her husband faced charges of concealment and were briefly held in house arrest; the search of the property initially failed to locate the painting.
A court hearing in Mar del Plata on Friday 4 September concluded that the couple would relinquish all claims to the artwork while foregoing prosecution. In return, the painting will be transferred to Marei von Saher, the son‑in‑law and sole heir of Jacques Goudstikker, who intends to loan it on display at the Holocaust Museum of Buenos Aires. The couple will also donate 4.8 million pesos—roughly $3,200—to local hospitals.
The painting itself carries a complex provenance. While it is traditionally attributed to late‑Baroque artist Giuseppe Ghislandi, some scholars argue it may belong to Giacomo Ceruti, another contemporary Italian painter. Nevertheless, the key point moves forward: it is now moving back to the family that paid the price of its possession for decades.
The retrieval of this artwork highlights a broader effort to correct the cultural losses inflicted by the third Reich and to bring forgotten masterpieces back into the public eye.
