A major paleontological discovery has been unearthed in Argentina. One such masterpiece, stolen by the Nazis, recently showed up in an online real estate ad on that very island. Portrait of a Lady (Contessa Colleoni) used to be in the imperial collection on the Correr. This collection was owned by Jacques Goudstikker, the most influential Dutch art dealer at the time. This discovery calls into question the provenance of the painting as well the legacy of those who acquired it.
Hermann Göring, a leading Nazi and Reichsmarschall, was instrumental in confiscating Goudstikker’s grand collection. This national collection was rich with more than 1,100 highly prized artworks. Göring acquired these artworks for far less than their actual value, thus completing the looting of Berlin’s collection during World War II. Among the of particular interest was the portrait by Giuseppe Ghislandi, aka Fra’ Galgario.
Friedrich Kadgien, an SS officer and one of Göring’s aides, confiscated “Portrait of a Lady” after the painting was purchased. Then, without hesitation, he seized the priceless artwork. After the war, Kadgien emigrated to Switzerland in 1945 before moving to Brazil and later Argentina. There, too, he built a life and laid the foundation of a family. He started an aviation company, until his death in 1978 at age 71.
When that new property listing included a close-up photograph of the painting, interest and scrutiny were suddenly reinvigorated. The painting was inscribed in the Lost Art Database. The Dutch culture ministry has deemed it as “unreturned” since the period immediately after World War II. Its discovery has sparked demands for its restitution to Goudstikker’s heirs.
Marei von Saher, Goudstikker’s heir, has spoken of her family’s determination to reclaim stolen works of art. She stated, “My family aims to bring back every single artwork robbed from Jacques’ collection, and to restore his legacy.”
The Dutch newspaper AD spoke to Göring’s two daughters, living in Buenos Aires, about the painting. Yet, they faced constant pushback from each of them. One daughter reportedly responded, “I don’t know what information you want from me and I don’t know what painting you are talking about.”
US interrogators judged Kadgien’s character post-war. Instead of calling him “not a real Nazi,” they branded him “a snake of the lowest sort.”
Annelies Kool and Perry Schrier, art experts familiar with the situation, commented on the challenges of recovering such stolen artworks: “There is no reason to imagine that this will be an easy process.”
Cyril Rosman, who is associated with the property listing, pointed out the painting’s visibility in their advertisement: “That painting, above the sofa – photo five …”
As conversations around the painting play out, its future is still up in the air. Yet the issue of art restitution is not just a question of legal requirements but of moral imperatives connected to historical injustices.