Couple under house arrest after Nazi looted painting disappears from Argentine home
An Argentine court has placed the daughter of Nazi leader Friedrich Kadgier and her husband under house arrest for covering up the whereabouts of a painting looted during the Second World War. The local authorities also raided four new locations in an attempt to find the painting, Portrait of a Lady by Giuseppe Ghislandi.
The 17th-century work was in the collection of Amsterdam art trader Jacques Goudstikker. During the war, it ended up in the possession of Nazi official Friedrich Kadgien. It is assumed that the work remained in the family after his death and ended up with one of his daughters. Dutch journalists spotted the oil painting in a listing of the daughter’s home in Argentina last month. But when the authorities went to raid the address, it wasn’t there.
Court sourcers told local news agency LA NACION that Kadgier’s daughter and her husband are trying to claim that they, not the Goudstikker heirs, are the legitimate owners of the painting. They argue that the painting has been in their possession for many years and that the statute of limitations has expired. They didn’t reveal the whereabouts of the painting, but proposed placing it in the court’s custody until ownership is determined.
The federal court placed the couple under house arrest for 72 hours on Monday and approved raids on four locations - the daughter’s home again and three other properties that belong to Kadgier’s immediate family. According to LA NACION, the painting wasn’t found, but the police seized other evidence to further the investigation.
