Elusive Nazi-Looted Painting Disappears Again in Argentina

Mon Sep 15 2025 16:39:52 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A renowned painting looted during the Nazi regime re-emerges only to vanish from an estate in Buenos Aires, raising suspicions of art smuggling.

In a dramatic turn of events, a painting by Italian artist Giuseppe Ghislandi that was discovered in an Argentine estate agent's advertisement has reportedly disappeared following a police raid. The painting, part of the collection belonging to a Nazi official's descendant, was not found during the investigation, although two weapons were seized. Authorities suspect a cover-up involving art smuggling. This case highlights ongoing efforts to recover looted art and the complexities of provenance in post-war Argentina.

A painting stolen by the Nazis that was spotted in an Argentinian estate agent's advert has vanished, a prosecutor says following a raid on the home.

Portrait of a Lady by Giuseppe Ghislandi was featured hanging above a sofa inside a property near Buenos Aires, which was being sold by the daughter of a senior Nazi who fled Germany after World War Two.

A police raid on the house this week turned up no painting - but two weapons were seized, federal prosecutor Carlos Martínez told local media.

Mr. Martínez said they were treating it as an alleged cover-up of smuggling, Argentinian daily Clarin reported.

The newspaper reported that furnishings had been rearranged, and the picture was missing from the wall when they raided the property.

Peter Schouten of the Dutch Algemeen Dagblad newspaper, which first reported the long-lost artwork's reappearance, mentioned evidence supporting that the painting was removed shortly after media attention arose.

Portrait of a Lady was among the collection of Amsterdam art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, much of which was forcibly sold by the Nazis after his death. For over 80 years, the location of this artwork had been unknown until its recent sighting, which has now again been complicated by its disappearance.

AD's investigation found documents indicating that the painting had been in the possession of Friedrich Kadgien, an SS officer who became a successful businessman in Argentina after fleeing the war. Efforts to contact Kadgien's descendants have yielded no fruitful results, but Goudstikker's estate intends to reclaim the painting.