Article content
Argentina must return an 18th-century painting stolen by Nazis from a Dutch Jewish art collector to the rightful owner’s heir, a judge ruled Friday.
Sign In or Create an Account
or View more offersArticle content
“Portrait of a Lady” by Italian late baroque painter Giacomo Ceruti was missing for eight decades before being photographed last year hanging in the home of the daughter of a senior Nazi officer who had fled to Argentina after the Second World War.
Article contentArticle content
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“An order will be issued for the painting to be returned to the heir” of art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, judge Santiago Inchausti declared following an agreement reached between the concerned parties.
Article contentArticle content
The painting was first recognized by the Dutch newspaper AD in photographs of a house for sale in the seaside resort of Mar del Plata.
Article content
It was hanging above a green sofa in the living room of Patricia Kadgien, whose father, Friedrich Kadgien, was a financier for the Nazi SS paramilitary organization. He was one of several high-ranking Nazis to escape to Argentina after the Second World War.
Article content
Patricia Kadgien, who clutched a rosary during the hearing in Mar del Plata, was charged with concealment and placed under house arrest along with her husband when the artwork was identified.
Article content
The pair agreed to return the painting to Goudstikker’s daughter-in-law and sole heir, Marei von Saher, and give around US$3,200 to local hospitals.
Article content
“Portrait of a Lady” was among over 1,000 artworks stolen from Goudstikker’s collection after the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands in 1940.
Article content
Goudstikker fled his country days after the invasion, leaving behind a litany of works that was divvied up by top German officials.
Article content
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
After the war the Dutch state retrieved some 300 works from the collection, most of which it later returned to Goudstikker’s heirs. But more remain scattered around the globe.
Article contentRead More
- Parts of 1986 report on Nazis in Canada must be made public, court rules
- Holocaust survivor urges University of Alberta to reject ‘dirty’ money from Nazi soldiers
- Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
The painting is by Ceruti (1698-1767), known as “Il Pitocchetto,” and not the portraitist Giuseppe Ghislandi as initially reported, the Argentine government stated in a press release.
Article content
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.
Article content