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The descendants of a Jewish pair have filed a lawsuit against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was looted by the Nazis.

Case History

As stated in the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern purchased the piece, titled Olive Picking, in the year 1935. Just one year later, they were compelled to leave their dwelling in Munich on the eve of World War II.

The legal action states that the Met, which acquired the masterpiece in 1956 for $125,000, should have known it was probably stolen property. The descendants are now seeking the repatriation of the canvas along with financial restitution.

In the decades since the war, this stolen artwork has been often and discreetly exchanged, acquired and disposed of in and through New York, states the court document.

Family's Flight

The Sterns departed from the city of Munich to California in 1936 with their six children due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Yet, they were barred from transporting the painting, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Prior to their departure, the Nazi government declared the artwork as a German cultural asset and banned the couple from exporting it. Following authorization from a regime representative, a trustee designated by the regime auctioned the painting on the family's behalf. However, the money from the transaction were placed in a restricted account, which the authorities later confiscated.

Post-War History

Around 1948, or not long after, the artwork entered New York and was acquired by a prominent figure, a member of the Astor family. Eventually, it was sold through a art dealer to the institution, which then sold it to prominent shipowner the magnate and his partner, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair established the BEG in 1979, which runs a gallery in Athens, Greece where the artwork is currently exhibited.

Court Allegations

The institution and a surviving nephew of the magnate are listed as respondents. The lawsuit claims that the Goulandris family and its affiliates have covered up the painting's ownership and whereabouts from the family.

To this day, the foundation continue to hide the circumstances the foundation came into control of the artwork; the couple's ownership of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the reality that the Nazis stole the Painting from the family, pressured the family into disposing of it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and took the proceeds of the deal.

Previous Legal Action

The family submitted a similar complaint in CA in the year 2022, but it was rejected in 2024. An further action was also dismissed in recently.

The Met's Position

The legal action argues that the Met's purchase of the piece was sanctioned by a curator, the Met's authority of European art and a renowned specialist on Nazi-era looted art. The institution and its expert knew or should have known that the artwork had probably been seized by the Nazis.

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

An official commented: At no time during the museum's possession of the painting was there any evidence that it had once belonged to the Stern family – actually, that knowledge did not become available until several decades after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings.

The Met's sale of Olive Picking met the Met's guidelines for deaccessioning – in particular, it was recorded that the piece was judged to be of lesser quality than other pieces of the same type in the holdings. Even though the institution maintains its position that this artwork entered the holdings and was removed properly and well within all guidelines and policies, the museum invites and will examine any further evidence that is discovered.

Goulandris Statement

A lawyer acting for the foundation stated: BEG is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The action to sue and smear the organization and the defendants in the United States upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, on two occasions. We are confident it will be again.