Argentine court clears path for Nazi-looted portrait to return to Goudstikker heir

An Argentine court has sanctioned a settlement that allows the daughter of former Nazi financial officer Friedrich Kadgien, Patricia Kadgien, to forfeit her claim to an 18th-century portrait looted from Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker during World War II. In exchange for avoiding a criminal trial, the couple must stay under court supervision for two years, pay a local hospital in Mar del Plata, and keep authorities informed of their whereabouts.

The painting, titled "Portrait of a Lady," was discovered in a real-estate ad for Kadgien’s home after Dutch journalists reported it, prompting police raids that eventually led to its surrender. A court-ordered examination re-attributed the work to Giacomo Antonio Melchiorre Ceruti, estimating its worth at roughly 250,000 euros. The piece will be displayed in Argentina before being returned to Marei von Saher, the only surviving heir of Goudstikker, who resides in Greenwich, Connecticut. The case concludes a multi-year legal battle that began in August 2025 and revives efforts to recover art stolen by the Nazi regime.