Vanishing Act: Nazi-Looted Painting Disappears Again in Argentina

Argentine authorities have confirmed that a painting stolen by the Nazis has once again vanished from its advertised location in Buenos Aires. The piece, titled Portrait of a Lady by Giuseppe Ghislandi, was recently seen in an estate agent listing, hanging prominently in the living room of a property being sold by the daughter of a prominent Nazi official.

During a raid conducted by law enforcement to investigate the potentially illicit situation, they found no trace of the painting. Instead, two weapons were confiscated, according to federal prosecutor Carlos Martínez, raising suspicions of a cover-up regarding art smuggling. The unusual circumstances have drawn media attention, echoing the complex history of artworks looted during the World War II era.

As authorities worked to uncover the whereabouts of the missing artwork, they noted that the house's furnishings had been rearranged, and the painting was conspicuously absent when they arrived. Evidence suggests that it may have been removed shortly after its public reappearance was reported.

This particular painting is part of a broader collection that originally belonged to Amsterdam art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, whose assets were largely sold off under coercion following the Nazi invasion. While some pieces from Goudstikker's collection were recovered post-war and are now housed in the Dutch national collection, significant efforts are ongoing to reclaim others, including Ghislandi's work.

The investigation linked the painting to Friedrich Kadgien, an SS officer who fled Germany after the war and resettled in Argentina. This historical context compounds the urgency surrounding its recovery, emphasized by the commitment from Goudstikker's surviving family to restore the legacy of stolen artworks.