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The family members of a Jewish pair have brought a case against The Met, alleging that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was seized by the Third Reich.

Case History

Per the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the piece, titled Olive Harvest, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were obliged to escape their dwelling in Munich prior to World War II.

The suit contends that the institution, which acquired the artwork in 1956 for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, must have realized it was likely stolen property. The family are now demanding the return of the artwork along with financial restitution.

In the decades since World War II, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through NYC, alleges the court document.

Forced Emigration

The Sterns departed from Munich to the United States in 1936 with their large family due to the oppressive Nazi regime. However, they were prevented from taking the artwork, which was produced by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century.

Before the family's emigration, the regime declared the masterpiece as German cultural property and banned the couple from bringing it with them. After obtaining permission from a regime representative, a agent designated by the Nazis disposed of the artwork on the family's behalf. But, the money from the transaction were placed in a restricted account, which the authorities later seized.

Post-War History

By 1948, or soon after, the painting arrived in New York and was acquired by Vincent Astor, one of America's wealthiest people. Subsequently, it was transferred through a art dealer to the institution, which then transferred it to prominent shipowner the magnate and his partner, Elise, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a gallery in the Greek capital where the painting is currently shown.

Court Allegations

BEG and a living relative of Goulandris are named as defendants. The legal action alleges that the defendants and its related entities have hidden and obscured the artwork's provenance and location from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the defendants continue to conceal the manner and time the foundation came into control of the artwork; the family's possession of the masterpiece from several years; and the truth that the Nazis looted the Painting from the family, forced the Sterns into disposing of it via a regime representative, and confiscated the money of the deal.

Earlier Lawsuits

The Stern heirs submitted a related lawsuit in CA in the year 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An further action was also dismissed in recently.

Institution's Statement

The complaint states that the Met's purchase of the piece was approved by a curator, the institution's specialist of European art and one of the world's foremost experts on art theft during the Nazi era. Rousseau and the Met must have known that the masterpiece had likely been looted by the Nazis.

The Met said in a statement that it is committed to its ongoing pledge to address claims from the Nazi period.

An official remarked: Not once during the museum's possession of the painting was there any documentation that it had once belonged to the Stern family – in fact, that data did not become known until several decades after the masterpiece left the Met's possession.

The institution's deaccessioning of the Van Gogh met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – specifically, it was documented that the piece was considered to be of inferior standard than additional artworks of the comparable nature in the collection. Even though the institution respectfully stands by its position that this piece entered the inventory and was sold legally and well within all rules and regulations, the museum welcomes and will consider any further evidence that is discovered.

Foundation's Defense

A lawyer acting for the foundation commented: The institution is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The effort to sue and smear the organization and the family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was previously dismissed, on two occasions. We are confident it will be once more.