Patricia Kadgien agrees to return Nazi-looted painting to the heir of Dutch art dealer Jacques Goudstikker
A federal judge in Mar del Plata, Argentina, ruled that Patricia Kadgien must return an 18th-century painting to the sole heir of Dutch art dealer Jacques Goudstikker. The painting, titled Portrait of a Lady, was stolen by the Nazis during the 1940 invasion of the Netherlands and remained missing for 80 years. It was rediscovered in 2025 in the home of Patricia Kadgien, the daughter of a Nazi official who fled to Argentina after the war. The painting was first identified in photographs of a house for sale in Mar del Plata. Patricia Kadgien and her husband agreed to return the artwork to Marei von Saher, Goudstikker's daughter-in-law and sole heir. In exchange for avoiding prosecution for concealing the painting, the couple must donate approximately $3,200 to local hospitals. Marei von Saher intends to give the painting on temporary loan to the Holocaust Museum of Buenos Aires before it is officially handed over. While the painting was originally attributed to Giuseppe Ghislandi, recent research by the Argentinian judiciary suggests it may have been painted by Giacomo Ceruti.
Sources
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Nazi-looted painting must be returned to Jewish art dealer’s heir, Argentina court rules
The Guardian
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Argentine couple to return Nazi-looted painting to rightful owner
BBC
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Nazi’s daughter gives up looted Goudstikker painting
DutchNews.nl
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Argentine court clears return of Nazi-looted portrait to Jewish dealer’s heir
Santa Fe New Mexican