Nazi-looted painting in Argentina to return to heir

An Argentine judge said Friday that an 18th-century painting stolen by Nazis from Dutch Jewish art collector Jacques Goudstikker will be returned to his heir after an agreement between the parties.

"Portrait of a Lady" by Italian baroque painter Giuseppe Ghislandi had been missing for eight decades before it was photographed last year in the Mar del Plata home of Patricia Kadgien, the daughter of Friedrich Kadgien, a financier for the Nazi SS paramilitary organization who fled to Argentina after World War II.

Judge Santiago Inchausti said an order would be issued to return the painting to Marei von Saher, Goudstikker's daughter-in-law and sole heir.

Dutch newspaper AD first recognized the painting in photographs of a house for sale in the seaside resort city. It was hanging above a green sofa in Kadgien's living room.

Kadgien and her husband were charged with concealment and placed under house arrest after the artwork was identified. They agreed to give up any rights over the painting and donate about $3,200 to local hospitals, federal prosecutor Carlos Martinez said.

Martinez said the work is in good condition and that expert examinations confirmed its authenticity.

"Portrait of a Lady" was among more than 1,000 artworks stolen from Goudstikker's collection after the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands in 1940. Goudstikker fled the country days after the invasion, leaving behind works that were divided among senior German officials.

After World War II, the Dutch state recovered about 300 works from the collection, most of which were later returned to Goudstikker's heirs. Other works remain scattered around the world.

The painting is currently under the care of Argentina's Supreme Court. Von Saher's legal team must now initiate its return.

Her lawyer, Guillermo Brady, said the family intends for the painting to be exhibited in Buenos Aires for at least a year and is in talks with museums.