For decades, the whereabouts of Portrait of a Lady by Italian painter Giuseppe Ghislandi remained a mystery. The artwork, stolen by the Nazis in the Netherlands during World War II, ended up hanging in a house in Mar del Plata until a photo in a real estate ad revealed its location.
The discovery led to a legal case involving descendants of Friederich Kadgien, a high-ranking official of the Third Reich. This Wednesday, the family's attorney delivered the painting to the headquarters of the Public Prosecutor's Office, according to chief prosecutor Daniel Adler.
The legal case and the charges of concealment
With the recovery of the painting, the criminal proceedings targeted Patricia Kadgien and her husband, who were accused of "concealment of theft in the context of genocide". Both remained under house arrest.
This Thursday, at 11:30, the hearing to formalize the case was scheduled. There, the judge would hear the prosecutor's presentation on the alleged facts, the legal classification, and the evidence gathered.
The debate revolved around the statute of limitations for the crime. Although an ordinary theft could no longer be prosecuted after so many years, the looting of art by the Nazis was considered a crime against humanity according to the 1945 London Charter, and therefore not subject to a statute of limitations.
Attorney Jorge Taiah clarified that this classification applied only to the original perpetrators, not to those who later kept or concealed the pieces. However, he explained that the concealment was "renewed day by day" as long as the artwork remained hidden, so it never expired. The maximum penalty established by the Penal Code for this crime was three years.
What would happen to the painting and the appearance of another artwork
The painting belonged to Jacques Goudstikker, a Jewish-Dutch art dealer, and was listed in international registries of missing pieces. After being secured by Argentine justice, it will remain in safekeeping until its restitution to the heirs, who would be responsible for deciding its fate.
