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The heirs of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against New York's Metropolitan Museum, claiming that a Van Gogh oil painting was seized by Nazi forces.

Case History

As stated in the legal filing, the Stern couple acquired the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in the year 1935. The following year, they were compelled to leave their dwelling in Munich, Germany prior to the Second World War.

The complaint contends that the museum, which obtained the masterpiece in the 1950s for $125,000, should have known it was almost certainly looted property. The descendants are now requesting the repatriation of the canvas along with compensation.

In the decades since World War II, this stolen artwork has been often and discreetly exchanged, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, alleges the court document.

The Sterns' Escape

Hedwig and Frederick Stern fled from the city of Munich to the United States in the late 1930s with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. However, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was created by the celebrated artist in the late 19th century.

Before they left, Nazi authorities classified the artwork as property of the state and prohibited the Sterns from bringing it with them. After obtaining permission from a Nazi official, a agent designated by the Nazis sold the piece on the family's behalf. But, the money from the auction were held in a blocked account, which the authorities later seized.

Subsequent Ownership

In 1948, or shortly after, the painting arrived in NYC and was bought by a wealthy American, among the richest individuals in the US. Eventually, it was sold through a commercial outlet to the Met, which then sold it to prominent shipowner Goulandris and his spouse, Mrs. Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise founded the BEG in the late 1970s, which manages a gallery in the Greek capital where the masterpiece is currently exhibited.

Claims and Defenses

BEG and a living relative of Basil Goulandris are listed as respondents. The lawsuit states that the Goulandris family and its related entities have concealed and disguised the artwork's provenance and location from the heirs.

Even now, the defendants continue to obscure the manner and time the foundation came into ownership of the artwork; the family's possession of the Painting from several years; and the reality that the Third Reich confiscated the artwork from the family, forced the couple into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the money of the sale.

Prior Cases

The Stern heirs submitted a comparable case in the state of California in recently, but it was dismissed in 2024. An further action was also rejected in recently.

Museum's Response

The complaint states that the institution's buying of the piece was sanctioned by the museum's expert, the Met's authority of European art and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi art looting. Rousseau and the Met must have known that the artwork had likely been stolen by the Nazis.

The Met responded that it is committed to its longstanding commitment to handle issues related to WWII.

A representative remarked: Not once during the museum's possession of the painting was there any evidence that it had once belonged to the family – indeed, that information did not become available until many years after the artwork left the Museum's collection.

The museum's disposal of Olive Picking met the museum's strict criteria for deaccessioning – specifically, it was recorded that the artwork was considered to be of inferior standard than other pieces of the similar kind in the holdings. Although the museum upholds its view that this artwork entered the inventory and was deaccessioned legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the Met welcomes and will consider any new information that is discovered.

Goulandris Statement

A lawyer representing the Goulandris Foundation commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a esteemed foundation in Athens. The attempt to sue and smear the Foundation and the Goulandris family in the America upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was previously dismissed, multiple times. We are certain it will be a third time.