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Nazi-Looted Art Recovered in Argentina, Daughter of Nazi Faces Charges Linked to Theft and Genocide
Curator Ariel Bassano addresses the media next to a portrait of Contessa Colleoni by Italian artist Giuseppe Ghislandi, an iconic painting stolen decades ago by the Nazis, following its recovery by Argentine officials after it was spotted in a real estate photo, in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Sept. 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Jose Scalzo
The daughter of a Nazi was charged on Thursday by Argentina’s federal court with concealing a painting stolen by her late father and “theft in the context of genocide” after the piece of art was turned over to authorities, local media reported.
Patricia Kadgien and her husband were placed under house arrest for three days earlier this week as authorities conducted raids on properties owned by the family in a failed attempt to find the 17th century painting “Portrait of a Lady” by Italian painter Giuseppe Ghisland. On Wednesday, a lawyer for the couple turned the painting over to the prosecutor’s office in Mar del Plata, outside of Barcelona, and at a hearing the next day, Kadgien and her husband were charged with aggravated concealment of property over their possession of the painting, the Argentine outlet InfoBrisas reported.
The court also banned Kadgien and her husband from leaving the country, ordered the couple to turn in their passports, and said they cannot stay for more than 24 hours outside of their home, according to federal prosecutor Carlos Martinez. “The crimes being covered up are serious, they are linked to crimes of genocide, theft in the context of genocide, and are related to a systematic plan to appropriate works of art and jewelry perpetrated by the Nazi regime,” Martinez stated.
The portrait of Contessa Colleoni is on the international list of lost art and the official Dutch list of artworks looted by the Nazis during World War II.
Kadgien’s late father, Friedrich Kadgien, was an SS officer and senior financial aide to Nazi leader Hermann Goering. He fled Europe after World War II and settled in Argentina, where he died in 1979. “Portrait of a Lady” was owned by the late Dutch Jewish art dealer and collector Jacques Goudstikker, who died in 1940 at the age of 42 during an attempt to flee the Nazis for England. Nazis in Amsterdam reportedly stole or bought under duress more than 1,000 pieces of art owned by Goudstikker, including “Portrait of a Lady.”
The painting by Ghislandi was spotted last month in a real estate photo for Kadgien’s home in Mar del Plata. In the picture, the iconic artwork was hanging on a wall above a couch. Authorities were notified after the painting was seen in the real estate picture, but when officers arrived at Kadgien’s home, the painting was missing and replaced on the wall with a tapestry. Officials could not immediately locate the artwork.
An art expert who worked on the case told the local La Capital Mar del Plata newspaper that he valued the portrait at “around $50,000.” Kadgien and her husband claim they are the rightful owners of the artwork, but Goudstikker’s family is fighting for the painting to be returned to them. Other artworks stolen from Goudstikker during the Holocaust were recovered in Germany and displayed in Amsterdam as part of the Dutch national collection, according to the BBC.
Prosecutors previously said that during raids on other properties owned by the Kadgien family, they discovered several pieces – including paintings, drawings, and engravings from the 19th century – that will be examined to determine if they were stolen during World War II.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.