FROM DAILY MAIL: Cops raided a Nazi heiress’s home to try and seize a masterpiece painting stolen from a Jewish art collector by her SS officer father – only to find it had hastily been replaced by a tapestry.
Investigators in Argentina raced to the home of Friedrich Kadgien’s daughter Patricia in the sea side town of Mar del Plata near Buenos Aires on Monday.
They hoped to find a 1743 artwork by painter Giuseppe Vittore Ghislandi called Portrait of a Lady, La Nacion reported.
Portrait of a Lady was spotted hanging on the wall of the Kadgien’s daughter in a random coincidence after the property was listed for sale. One of the photos on the online listing showed the artwork hanging on a living room wall – and was spotted by a Dutch journalist investigating the disappearance of the artwork.
Argentine police obtained a warrant to try and reclaim the painting, owned by Dutch art dealer Jacques Goudstikker who died in 1940 while fleeing the Nazis for England.
Officials hoped they’d finally found the looted artwork so it could be returned to Goudstikker family, the rightful owners.
However, they did not find their prize.
“The painting is not in the house,” prosecutor Carlos Martínez told the Argentine newspapers. Investigators believe a tapestry was used to replace something else on the wall.
“It’s clear that where we found a tapestry before not long ago, there was something else,” an anonymous officer reported.
No charges have been filed against Patricia Kadgien at this time, but she could face charges of concealing contraband, according to reports.
Her father served as financial adviser to top Nazi official Herman Goering. As Nazi efforts were funded by the theft of art and diamonds from Jewish dealers, Kadgien could have fled Europe with the masterpiece after the war.
Marei von Saher, an heir of Goudstikker, plans to launch legal action to find and retrieve tht painting.
“My search for the artworks owned by my father-in-law Jacques Goudstikker started at the end of the 90s, and I won’t give up,” the 81 years old told a Dutch newspaper. “My family aims to bring back every single artwork robbed from Jacques’ collection and restore his legacy.”
In addition to the stolen 17th century painting Portrait of a Lady by Giuseppe Vittore Ghislandi. pic.twitter.com/c29yNNIYnW
— ARCA (@ARCA_artcrime) August 27, 2025
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