Key facts
- A painting looted by Nazis, 'Portrait of a Lady', has been ordered to be returned to its rightful owner's heir.
- The artwork was discovered in photographs of a property for sale near Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- The current possessors, Patricia Kadgien and her husband Juan Carlos Cortegoso, agreed to return the painting.
- In exchange for returning the artwork and donating 4.8 million pesos to local hospitals, criminal proceedings against the couple were suspended.
- The painting was originally looted from the collection of Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker after the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands in 1940.
A painting stolen by the Nazis, known as 'Portrait of a Lady' or 'Contessa Colleoni', has been ordered to be returned to the heir of its rightful owner after being discovered in Argentina. The artwork was lost for 80 years until it was spotted in photographs advertising a property for sale near Buenos Aires. The house belonged to Patricia Kadgien, the daughter of a Nazi fugitive who had advised Hermann Goring. Kadgien and her husband, Juan Carlos Cortegoso, agreed to return the painting and donate 4.8 million pesos (approximately $3,185) to local hospitals in exchange for the suspension of criminal proceedings against them for concealing the artwork. The painting was part of the extensive collection of Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, which was looted after the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands in 1940. Marei von Saher, Goudstikker's daughter-in-law and sole heir, aims to recover all stolen artworks and restore her family's legacy. She intends for the painting to be temporarily exhibited at the Holocaust Museum of Buenos Aires to raise awareness. Experts have debated the attribution of the painting, with some attributing it to Giuseppe Ghislandi and others to Giacomo Ceruti.