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The descendants of a Jewish pair have filed a lawsuit against New York's Metropolitan Museum, alleging that a Van Gogh oil painting was looted by the Third Reich.

Case History

According to the legal filing, Frederick and Hedwig Stern bought the painting, titled Olive Harvest, in 1935. A year after, they were obliged to escape their dwelling in the German city of Munich prior to WWII.

The complaint argues that the institution, which purchased the masterpiece in 1956 for a significant sum, should have known it was almost certainly confiscated property. The heirs are now demanding the return of the painting along with financial restitution.

Since the end of World War II, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, purchased and sold in and through NYC, claims the court document.

Family's Flight

The Sterns departed from their Munich home to California in the late 1930s with their large family due to Nazi persecution. However, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was created by the celebrated artist in 1889.

Before they left, the regime designated the masterpiece as a German cultural asset and banned the couple from bringing it with them. Following authorization from a Nazi official, a representative designated by the authorities disposed of the artwork on the couple's behalf. Yet, the proceeds from the auction were placed in a frozen account, which the regime later took.

Post-War History

Around 1948, or soon after, the artwork arrived in NYC and was acquired by a prominent figure, one of America's wealthiest people. Subsequently, it was transferred through a art dealer to the museum, which then passed it on to prominent shipowner Goulandris and his wife, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

Basil and Elise founded the BEG in 1979, which operates a gallery in Athens where the masterpiece is currently shown.

Legal Arguments

The institution and a surviving nephew of Basil Goulandris are named as defendants. The lawsuit claims that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and current place from the plaintiffs.

Even now, the defendants continue to obscure the manner and time the foundation came into possession of the piece; the Stern family's ownership of the artwork from the mid-1930s; and the facts that the regime confiscated the artwork from the family, coerced the couple into selling it via a trustee, and seized the proceeds of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The family initiated a related lawsuit in CA in the year 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An appeal was also dismissed in recently.

Institution's Statement

The lawsuit argues that the museum's acquisition of the piece was authorized by a curator, the Met's authority of European paintings and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi-era looted art. The institution and its expert knew or should have known that the masterpiece had probably been stolen by the regime.

The museum responded that it prioritizes its longstanding commitment to resolve claims from the Nazi period.

An official commented: At no time during The Met's ownership of the piece was there any documentation that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – indeed, that information did not become available until many years after the artwork left the institution's holdings.

The museum's disposal of Olive Picking met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – specifically, it was recorded that the piece was judged to be of lower caliber than other works of the comparable nature in the holdings. Although The Met respectfully stands by its position that this piece entered the inventory and was deaccessioned lawfully and well within all standards and procedures, the museum is open to and will review any new information that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

William Charron representing BEG stated: The Goulandris Foundation is a renowned institution in the Greek capital. The attempt to sue and smear the organization and the family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, twice. We are certain it will be again.