In brief
Federal prosecutor Carlos Martínez revealed that a painting believed to be looted by Nazis, spotted in a Buenos Aires estate agent's advertisement, has gone missing after a police raid on the property. The investigation uncovers potential links to smuggling activities tied to the family of a former Nazi. The artwork was part of Amsterdam dealer Jacques Goudstikker's collection and had been unaccounted for over 80 years.
A painting stolen by the Nazis that was spotted in an Argentinian estate agent's advert has vanished, a prosecutor says following a raid on the home.
Portrait of a Lady by Giuseppe Ghislandi was featured hanging above a sofa inside a property near Buenos Aires, which was being sold by the daughter of a senior Nazi who fled Germany after World War Two.
A police raid on the house this week however turned up no painting - but two weapons were seized, federal prosecutor Carlos Martínez told local media.
Mr. Martínez said they were treating it as an alleged cover-up of smuggling, Argentinian daily Clarin reported.
The newspaper reported that the furnishings had been rearranged and the picture was missing from the wall when they raided the property.
Peter Schouten of the Dutch Algemeen Dagblad newspaper, which first reported the long-lost artwork's reappearance, said there was evidence the painting was removed shortly afterwards or after the media reports about it appeared.
Portrait of a Lady was among the collection of Amsterdam art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, much of which was forcibly sold by the Nazis after his death. For more than 80 years, the painting's location had been unknown.
AD's investigation found wartime documents that suggest the painting was in the possession of Friedrich Kadgien, an SS officer and senior financial aide to Hermann Göring, who fled in 1945 and moved to Argentina.
Following the photo's appearance, one of the sisters told the Dutch paper she didn't know what they wanted from her, nor what painting they are talking about. Lawyers for Goudstikker's estate said they would make every effort to reclaim the painting.
