Nazi descendants charged over hidden trove of looted Jewish art in Argentina

An Argentine court has charged Patricia Kadgien, daughter of Nazi official Friedrich Kadgien, and her husband with concealing stolen artwork looted from European Jews during the Holocaust, AFP reported on Thursday.

Among the recovered pieces are 22 works by French master Henri Matisse, discovered during police raids in the coastal city of Mar del Plata.

The investigation was sparked when “Portrait of a Lady,” an 18th-century painting by Italian Baroque artist Giuseppe Ghislandi, appeared in a local property listing. The painting, missing for 80 years, was part of the collection of Dutch Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, who died while fleeing the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands in 1940.

Authorities say the painting was photographed inside the home of Kadgien’s daughter, prompting a search that led to the discovery of the Matisse works and other pieces of unknown origin. The couple later surrendered the Ghislandi painting and were formally charged with “concealment.”

Friedrich Kadgien, a financial adviser to Adolf Hitler, was tasked with transporting looted art to South America. He fled to Argentina after the war and died there in 1978. His daughter and son-in-law now face legal proceedings over the hidden trove.

Goudstikker’s collection was divided among top Nazi officials, including Gestapo founder Hermann Goering. Though the Dutch government recovered around 300 pieces post-war, many remain scattered worldwide.