Kamal Ghorui
THE HAGUE: An artwork plundered by the Nazis from the world-famous Goudstikker collection has surfaced in the family of a notorious SS collaborator in the Netherlands, Dutch art detective Arthur Brand said Monday.“Portrait of a Young Girl”, by Dutch artist Toon Kelder, had likely been hanging for decades in the home of descendants of Hendrik Seyffardt, Brand said, describing it as “the most bizarre case of my entire career”. The case has drawn parallels to a find that made global headlines in 2025, when an 18th-century Nazi-looted painting – also from the collection of late Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker – featured in a property ad in Argentina.In the Dutch case, Brand said he was approached by a man who had recently uncovered two horrifying secrets: he was a descendant of Seyffardt, and his family had displayed the looted art for years. This family member, who wished to remain anonymous, told Brand he saw the painting hanging in the hallway of the granddaughter of Seyffardt, who was assassinated by Dutch resistance fighters in 1943.Seyffardt, one of the highest-ranking Dutch collaborators with the Nazis, commanded a Waffen-SS unit of Dutch volunteers on the Eastern Front. NYT splashed news of his death on its front page in 1943, and a lavish Nazi state funeral was held for him in The Hague, complete with a wreath sent by Adolf Hitler. Brand said Seyffardt’s granddaughter told the family member the painting was “Jewish looted art, stolen from Goudstikker. It is unsellable. Don’t tell anyone.”But the family member wanted the story to go public and contacted Brand, who has made a name for himself cracking numerous high-profile cases of stolen art. This family member told De Telegraaf daily: “I feel ashamed. The painting should be returned to the heirs of Goudstikker.” The painting has a Goudstikker label on the back and the number 92 carved into the frame. Brand searched the archives of an auction in 1940 where a part of the looted Goudstikker collection went under the hammer and found item number 92: “Portrait of a Young Girl” by Toon Kelder.Hermann Goering, a top Nazi official, plundered Goudstikker’s entire collection when the art dealer fled to England in 1940. Brand surmises the Dutch collaborator Seyffardt acquired the painting at the 1940 auction, and it was then passed down throughout the generations. Lawyers for the Goudstikker heirs confirmed to Brand that this painting was looted and have called for its return.The family member who contacted Brand also wants the painting returned to the Goudstikker heirs, but police are powerless as the theft has passed the statute of limitations.The Dutch Restitution Committee, which advises on looted Nazi art, is also hamstrung as it cannot compel private individuals to return artworks. “The family member sees public exposure as the only way to hopefully return the painting to the Goudstikker heirs, where it rightfully belongs,” said Brand. afp
