Argentine authorities are moving in the right direction. They’re tracing a painting they think may have been looted during World War II, after it appeared last year in a real estate listing. The artwork in question, Portrait of a Lady, is an early-18th century painting by Italian Baroque artist Giuseppe Vittore Ghislandi. The painting itself has quite the history! It came from Dutch Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, who lost his collection of thousands of works—including a Vermeer—when the Nazis confiscated his Amsterdam gallery in May 1940.
Like this painting, it too is connected to a larger historical narrative of art theft and restitution. Upon the Nazi invasion, Goudstikker’s stock, which included around 1,100 artworks, was illegally sold to Hermann Goering. Portrait of a Lady had eventually fallen into the ownership of Friedrich Kadgien, a Jewish Berlin man who fled to Switzerland and then to Argentina after Germany’s defeat in the war. Kadgien died in Buenos Aires in 1978.
Discovery and Investigation
Not long ago, one of our former teachers found the painting displayed over a plush velvet settee. She discovered it inside a vacant home for sale in Mar del Plata, a picturesque coastal resort city in Argentina. The house, which is currently for sale for $265,000, is thought to be owned by heirs of Kadgien. The Dutch Royal Archives have now verified that the painting is indeed the original “Portrait of a Lady.” This finding has led to a broader inquiry by Argentine prosecutors.
Those talks took a dramatic turn on Tuesday, when officials raided a villa outside of Buenos Aires. Sadly, they failed to recover the painting during that operation. Even after this lost opportunity, the search continues with experts and investigators seeking to determine the painting’s provenance.
“After all, the purpose of our work is to bring looted heritage from the Second World War to light and, where possible, return it to the rightful owners,” – The Netherlands’ Cultural Heritage Agency.
Annelies Kool and Perry Schrier, art specialists who worked on the investigation, spoke about the painting’s authenticity.
“Although we have not physically examined the painting and cannot verify the back of the canvas (for marks or labels that could help confirm its provenance), it is reasonably likely that this is indeed the 18th-century portrait of Countess Colleoni by Ghislandi,” – Annelies Kool and Perry Schrier.
The Quest for Restitution
The search for the restitution of Goudstikker’s stolen artworks has been an uphill battle for decades. Marei von Saher, Goudstikker’s only surviving heir, has been on the cutting edge of this battle. She has pursued justice for her father’s losses during the war for decades. In 2006, the Dutch government decided to give back 202 paintings from Goudstikker’s collection to her.
Von Saher’s attorneys said they were thankful for these recent developments, as it relates to “Portrait of a Lady.”
“extremely grateful” – von Saher’s lawyers.
Their team is still looking at every avenue to have the painting returned. This last scenario points to the constant struggle to rectify the effects of past wrongs such as the theft of works of art during World War II.
Cultural Significance and Future Steps
The controversial case of the “Portrait of a Lady” is exemplary of the broader field of art restitution and cultural heritage at large. To this day, so many artworks from the war have gone missing or account for. Recovering these fragments is essential for any post-war reconciliation processes. The identification process requires a wealth of research and the cooperation of many, including national governments, art historians and legal experts.
Investigations are still ongoing — particularly in Argentina and the Netherlands. As always, everyone remains optimistic that this magnificent painting will be returning to its rightful heir very soon. As momentum builds behind restitution efforts around the world, there’s a sense of promise and hope in the air— a commitment to righting historical wrongs!
