Nazis' stolen treasures

Judge: Painting stolen by Nazis must be returned

A painting from the 18th century that was stolen from a Jewish art collector during World War II must be returned to its rightful owners. A court in Mar del Plata, Argentina, has ruled, writes AFP.

The painting, painted by Giuseppe Ghislandi and depicting a woman, was missing for eight decades before it was suddenly found on the wall of the daughter of a Nazi who fled to Argentina after the war.

The connection to the art theft was made after the newspaper Algemeen Dagblad saw similarities between the stolen painting and art that appeared in a real estate advertisement.

"Portrait of a Lady", as the painting is called, is however only one of over 1,000 paintings that were stolen from the art collector and which are then believed to have been divided up among high-ranking Nazis.

Heiress of Found Painting: "Very Happy"

82-year-old Marei von Saher, daughter-in-law of stolen art collector Jacques Goudstikker, is "very happy" over the news that the painting "Portrait of a Lady" will be returned. This is reported by Algemeen Dagblad.

But the process in the Argentine courts has been anything but simple. At first, the daughter of the Nazi in whose possession the painting was found refused to admit its origin. Only after threatening her with a long prison sentence did prosecutors manage to reach a settlement with her and her husband.

The settlement means that the woman will donate money to charity, but the most important thing is what signals are sent, according to prosecutor Carlos Martínez.

"We want to fulfill our international commitments regarding the protection of stolen art," he tells the newspaper.

Before the painting is sent back to the United States, it will be exhibited. This is to spread awareness about the stolen art treasures that have not yet been recovered.