Nazi-looted painting recovered in Argentina after surfacing in real estate ad

A 17th-century painting stolen during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands has been handed over to Argentina’s federal prosecutors, according to officials. The portrait was discovered after it appeared in a real estate listing.

The painting Portrait of a Lady by Italian artist Giuseppe Ghislandi was handed over in Mar del Plata by the lawyer representing the suspects, Argentina’s Public Prosecutor’s Office announced on Wednesday.

According to La Nación, the painting was turned in by Patricia Kadgien and her husband, Juan Carlos Cortegoso, who are under house arrest on charges of concealment linked to smuggling. Kadgien is the daughter of Friedrich Kadgien, a Nazi collaborator who fled to Argentina after World War II.

The pair admitted through their lawyer that the painting was in their possession and placed it at the disposal of the courts while maintaining that they are its legal owners.

Prosecutors say the painting had been missing from the collection of Dutch art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, who was looted after the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940, according to AFP. More than 1,000 works were taken from Goudstikker’s collection.

The investigation began after Dutch newspaper AD published a photo showing the painting hanging in the couple’s living room, taken from a real estate listing for their home.

Authorities later searched multiple properties belonging to Kadgien’s family and seized other period artworks, some of which are now being examined for possible illicit origin, La Nación reported.

The case remains before federal criminal court after a civil judge declared herself not competent, citing international principles on looted art.

Portrait of a Lady, painted in the 1600s, is attributed to Giuseppe Ghislandi, also known as Fra Galgario, an Italian portraitist known for his depictions of the European aristocracy.

Thousands of works of art stolen by the Nazis remain unaccounted for, and many ended up in private collections around the world. Argentina, which became a refuge for numerous Nazi officials after the war, has seen several cases involving looted property tied to fugitives who settled there.