Argentine court orders Nazi-looted 18th-century painting returned to Goudstikker heirs
An Argentine judge has ordered the restitution of Giacomo Ceruti’s 18th-century portrait to the heirs of Dutch Jewish dealer Jacques Goudstikker after it was uncovered in a Mar del Plata home listed online.
An 18th-century portrait by Giacomo Ceruti, absent from the collection of Dutch Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker since World War II, resurfaced when a real-estate listing showed the work hanging in a Mar del Plata living room. The painting, previously misattributed to Giuseppe Ghislandi, was identified by a Dutch journalist and pursued by attorney Yael Weitz of Freedman Normand Friedland. Argentine police raided the Kadgien residence, confiscating the canvas, phones, unregistered firearms and 1940s documents.
A federal judge ordered the artwork’s return to Goudstikker’s heirs, a first such restitution by Argentine courts, while the Kadgien couple agreed to donate roughly $3,200 to a local children’s hospital in exchange for suspension of criminal charges. Valued at $288,000, the case is hailed as a watershed moment for Argentina’s handling of its post-war legacy.
Why it matters
It demonstrates that Nazi-looted art can still be recovered and restituted decades later, setting a legal precedent in Argentina.
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