Security have opened an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of the painting “Portrait of a Lady.” Correspondence and associated works This artwork was looted by the Nazis during World War II. The painting, once in the collection of Jacques Goudstikker, a major prewar Jewish art dealer from Amsterdam, has a troubled provenance. Goudstikker perished in May 1940 while making his escape from Nazi invaders. Following his death, the painting came into the hands of Friedrich Kadgien, a high-ranking Nazi official and aide to Hermann Göring.
The painting’s odyssey started in Amsterdam, where Goudstikker had assembled an impressive art collection, until his premature death. After his death, Kadgien purchased the painting, though it is unknown how the transfer occurred. By the end of World War II, Kadgien fled the Netherlands with the artwork. Then came the trip to Argentina, with stops first in Switzerland and then Brazil on the way. He died in Buenos Aires in 1978, at which point the painting still remained in his family’s possession.
The image of “Portrait of a Lady” that ended up, by chance or fate, on that estate agency’s website. The mansion, now owned by Kadgien’s daughter in Mar del Plata, has previously attracted the interest of federal law enforcement authorities. That the painting would even end up in a real estate marketing listing raises immediate alarm bells. Consequently, complaints were filed by federal police, Interpol, and Argentina’s customs agency.
Authorities are now investigating Kadgien’s daughter and her partner regarding the painting’s whereabouts. Throughout their investigation, detectives were able to confiscate a number of items, including two different firearms and some prints. Even with the exhaustive inquiry, “Portrait of a Lady” is still lost—so apparently unique are these works.
“Where we found a tapestry, not long ago, there was something else,” – a police officer.
The investigation still continues as officials look to discover the fate of this irreplaceable piece of art history. The painting has remained lost for decades. It stands in testimony to the cultural loss inflicted by the Holocaust and as a testament to the continuing effort to recover stolen works of art.
Friedrich Kadgien’s daughter’s house in Mar del Plata has become a magnet for authorities’ attention. As they follow leads on the painting’s whereabouts, they’d like to be able to reconstruct its path since being stolen in 1959.