Painting looted by Nazis discovered in home of Dutch SS commander’s family - BERITAJA

A coating stolen from a Jewish creation collector by Nazis during the Second World War has been recovered successful the location of relatives of well-known Dutch SS collaborator Hendrik Seyffardt and is now successful the hands of a Dutch journalist, creation detective Arthur Brand told BERITAJA.

The renowned coating titled Portrait of a Young Girl by Dutch creator Toon Kelder belonged to the looted Goudstikker collection and is believed to person remained for years successful the location of Seyffardt’s descendants, according to Brand, who described the find arsenic “the about bizarre lawsuit of my full career,” The Guardian reported.

Seyffardt collaborated pinch the Nazis during Hitler’s penetration of the Netherlands and led a unpaid Waffen-SS portion connected the Eastern Front earlier he was assassinated successful 1943.

Seyffardt was fixed a Nazi authorities ceremonial successful The Hague and received a wreath sent by Hitler.

Jacques Goudstikker, a famed Dutch-Jewish creation collector and proprietor of the painting, died while attempting to fly the invasion, leaving down much than 1,000 works.

In 2006, his family successfully reclaimed 200 Nazi-looted items that had since travel nether the power of the Dutch government, according to the Contemporary Jewish Museum.

The lawsuit is akin to a find made past twelvemonth erstwhile a Nazi-looted coating — besides belonging to the Goudstikker postulation — was recovered astatine a location successful Argentina, wherever thousands of notorious Nazis and warfare criminals fled aft the war.

During the much caller Dutch discovery, Brand told Dutch and British media that he was approached by a man who claimed to beryllium a descendant of Seyffardt and said the coating had been hanging successful the hallways of the SS collaborator’s granddaughter’s house.

According to The Guardian, Seyffardt’s granddaughter said the coating was “Jewish looted art, stolen from Goudstikker. It is unsellable. Don’t show anyone.”

The family personnel past hired Brand, a well-known creation detective, who told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf that they felt ashamed and believed the artwork should beryllium returned to its rightful owners.

According to the newspaper, the Seyffardt family was discussing whether to return the item, arsenic they claimed they were unaware it had been stolen.

“I received it from my mother. Now that you face maine for illustration this, I understand that Goudstikker’s heirs want the coating back. I didn’t cognize that,” a comparative reportedly told the outlet.

Brand’s investigation verified the painting’s authenticity and traced the waste of the point to an auction successful 1940, wherever he deduced that Seyffardt had bought the portion from elder Nazi charismatic Hermann Göring, who he said had obtained the full postulation during its first looting, according to the Dutch news agency.

Lawyers representing the Goudstikker family confirmed to Brand that the artwork had been looted and demanded its return; however, according to The Guardian, constabulary cannot return action because the statute of limitations for the theft has expired.

“The family personnel sees nationalist vulnerability arsenic the only measurement to hopefully return the coating to the Goudstikker heirs, wherever it rightfully belongs,” Brand told the outlet.

He confirmed to Global connected Tuesday that the coating had been handed complete to a Dutch newsman and was group to beryllium returned to its rightful owners.

Last week, different Nazi-looted artwork was put connected show for the first clip astatine the Musée d’Orsay successful Paris arsenic portion of France’s reckoning pinch Nazi-era looting. The assemblage is the first successful the museum’s history to beryllium fixed complete to the orphaned masterpieces of the Nazi era.

The coating by Belgian creator Alfred Stevens was primitively earmarked for Hitler’s planned depository successful Linz, Austria. But by 1943, it was reassigned to Hitler’s upland location successful the Bavarian region of Germany. The depository was ne'er built pursuing Germany’s defeat.

No heir has ever travel guardant to declare the painting, and nary 1 knows who owned it earlier 1942.

— With files from The Associated Press