Argentine prosecutors charged Patricia Kadgien, 59, on Tuesday with attempting to hide an 18th-century Italian painting that was looted during World War II, authorities said. The charges were filed a day after Kadgien, the daughter of a fugitive Nazi officer, handed the work over to investigators following its appearance in a real estate listing.
The painting, titled "Portrait of a Lady" and attributed to Italian artist Giuseppe Ghislandi, likely dates to about 1710 and had not been seen publicly for roughly 80 years, according to news reports. An art expert cited by the Associated Press estimated the work's value at about $50,000.
Prosecutors say the painting was among artworks taken from a leading European art dealer during the Nazi era. Kadgien is the daughter of Friedrich Kadgien, a former Nazi officer who allegedly stole the piece during the war and later became a fugitive. Investigators said the work resurfaced after it was photographed and posted in a real estate advertisement, prompting authorities to seek its recovery.
The heirs of the painting's original owner, Dutch-Jewish collector Jacques Goudstikke, have filed a legal claim seeking to reclaim the work. Goudstikke fled Amsterdam during the war and died in a shipwreck; his extensive collection was forcibly sold under Nazi pressure and acquired in part by high-ranking officials, including Hermann Göring, the reports said. Descendants of Goudstikke have been pursuing the recovery of roughly 1,100 paintings that went missing after World War II.
Argentine authorities provided limited public detail about the investigation. Prosecutors said Kadgien voluntarily surrendered the painting to facilitate inquiries; charges allege she attempted to conceal its provenance. Legal proceedings and restitution claims for art taken during the Nazi period typically involve provenance research, documentation of forced sales or theft, and civil claims by heirs.
The case joins a broader international effort that has, over decades, sought to identify and return works looted or forcibly sold under the Nazi regime. Museums, governments and private claimants have increasingly relied on archival research, wartime inventories and international cooperation to resolve disputes. Several high-profile recoveries in recent years have underscored the persistence of unresolved claims tied to wartime dispossession.
The legal claim by Goudstikke's heirs will determine whether the painting is returned to the family. Prosecutors in Argentina said they will continue investigative steps while the civil claim proceeds. Further court dates and specific charges are expected as authorities and claimants pursue documentation of the painting's wartime ownership and subsequent movements.