Trending Now - Nazi-looted Portrait Discovered in Dutch SS Leader's Family Home

WHO:

The Guardian - The painting is linked to Hendrik Seyffardt, a high-ranking Dutch SS collaborator.

The Guardian - Arthur Brand is the art detective involved in the case.

The Guardian - Seyffardt’s granddaughter is mentioned as having displayed the painting.

The Guardian - Hermann Göring is identified as the Nazi official who looted the Goudstikker collection.

WHAT:

The Guardian - A portrait titled "Portrait of a Young Girl," by Dutch artist Toon Kelder, was discovered in the home of Seyffardt’s descendants.

The Guardian - The painting is believed to have been looted from the Goudstikker collection.

The Guardian - The family member who contacted Brand expressed a desire for the painting to be returned to the heirs of Goudstikker, stating, “I feel ashamed. The painting should be returned to the heirs of Goudstikker.”

The Guardian - The painting had a Goudstikker label on the back and “92” carved into the frame, indicating its auction history.

WHERE:

The Guardian - The painting was found in the home of Seyffardt’s family in the Netherlands.

The Guardian - A Nazi state funeral for Seyffardt was held in The Hague.

WHEN:

The Guardian - The auction where part of the looted Goudstikker collection was sold occurred in 1940.

The Guardian - Seyffardt was assassinated by resistance fighters in 1943.

WHY:

The Guardian - The family member wanted the story to go public to facilitate the return of the painting to the Goudstikker heirs.

The Guardian - The family had not known the painting was looted, as indicated by a relative's quote: “I didn’t know that.”

HOW:

The Guardian - Brand launched an investigation into the painting's history and its connection to the Goudstikker collection.

The Guardian - The Dutch Restitutions Committee cannot compel private individuals to return artworks, limiting their ability to act in this case.

(UPDATED May 11, 2026 13:52 UTC)

A portrait titled "Portrait of a Young Girl," by Dutch artist Toon Kelder, has been discovered in the home of Hendrik Seyffardt’s descendants in the Netherlands, and it is believed to have been looted from the Goudstikker collection by Nazi official Hermann Göring. Arthur Brand, the art detective involved in the case, was contacted by a family member who expressed a desire to return the painting to the heirs of Goudstikker, stating, “I feel ashamed. The painting should be returned to the heirs of Goudstikker.” The painting, which had a Goudstikker label on the back and “92” carved into the frame, highlights the family's lack of awareness about its looted history, as one relative remarked, “I didn’t know that.”