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The descendants of a Jewish pair have filed a lawsuit against The Met, asserting that a Van Gogh canvas was seized by the Nazis.

Origins of the Dispute

Per the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern purchased the painting, titled Olive Harvest, in 1935. The following year, they were obliged to escape their residence in Munich on the eve of the Second World War.

The suit argues that the museum, which acquired the masterpiece in the mid-1950s for $125,000, ought to have been aware it was likely looted property. The heirs are now demanding the restitution of the painting along with compensation.

Since the end of WWII, this plundered piece has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through NYC, alleges the court document.

Forced Emigration

Hedwig and Frederick Stern fled from the city of Munich to America in the late 1930s with their six children due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Yet, they were prevented from taking the Van Gogh piece, which was painted by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Before the family's emigration, the regime classified the artwork as German cultural property and forbade the couple from bringing it with them. After obtaining permission from a regime representative, a representative appointed by the Nazis disposed of the painting on the couple's behalf. Yet, the funds from the auction were deposited in a frozen account, which the authorities later took.

Post-War History

In 1948, or shortly after, the painting entered NYC and was purchased by a wealthy American, a member of the Astor family. Subsequently, it was transferred through a gallery to the museum, which then sold it to prominent shipowner Basil Goulandris and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.

Basil and Elise established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a gallery in Athens where the masterpiece is currently on display.

Legal Arguments

The institution and a living relative of Goulandris are listed as respondents. The lawsuit alleges that the family and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the painting's ownership and current place from the plaintiffs.

Even now, the foundation continue to hide how and when the institution came into control of the artwork; the family's possession of the Painting from several years; and the truth that the Third Reich stole the artwork from the family, coerced the family into parting with it via a trustee, and seized the proceeds of the transaction.

Earlier Lawsuits

The family initiated a similar complaint in CA in 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An legal challenge was also rejected in recently.

Museum's Response

The lawsuit contends that the institution's buying of the painting was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of European paintings and a renowned specialist on art theft during the Nazi era. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the artwork had probably been stolen by Nazis.

The Met responded that it is committed to its historical dedication to resolve claims from the Nazi period.

A representative commented: Never during The Met's ownership of the piece was there any record that it had earlier been possessed to the heirs – in fact, that information did not become available until a long time after the painting left the Met's possession.

The museum's disposal of the Van Gogh met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – namely, it was documented that the work was judged to be of lower caliber than other works of the comparable nature in the collection. Although the museum maintains its position that this piece entered the inventory and was deaccessioned legally and well within all standards and procedures, the museum is open to and will review any additional details that emerges.

Goulandris Statement

Legal counsel acting for the Goulandris Foundation commented: BEG is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The effort to litigate and defame the organization and the family in the United States upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was previously dismissed, multiple times. We are confident it will be once more.