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The family members of a Jewish spouses have brought a case against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, alleging that a Van Gogh oil painting was stolen by Nazi forces.

Historical Background

According to the legal filing, Hedwig and Frederick Stern bought the painting, titled Olive Harvest, in 1935. Just one year later, they were obliged to escape their home in the German city of Munich just before the Second World War.

The complaint argues that the Met, which purchased the artwork in 1956 for a significant sum, ought to have been aware it was probably confiscated property. The family are now requesting the restitution of the painting along with compensation.

Since the end of the war, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, acquired and disposed of in and through NYC, alleges the legal filing.

Forced Emigration

Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped from their Munich home to the United States in 1936 with their six children due to persecution by the Nazis. Yet, they were prevented from taking the Van Gogh piece, which was created by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Prior to their departure, Nazi authorities declared the masterpiece as German cultural property and forbade the couple from exporting it. Once approved from a Nazi official, a trustee appointed by the regime auctioned the painting on the family's behalf. Yet, the funds from the auction were placed in a frozen account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Post-War History

By 1948, or shortly after, the painting arrived in NYC and was purchased by Vincent Astor, a member of the Astor family. Eventually, it was exchanged through a gallery to the institution, which then sold it to prominent shipowner the magnate and his partner, Mrs. Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which runs a museum in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently shown.

Claims and Defenses

BEG and a living relative of Basil Goulandris are identified in the suit. The legal action alleges that the defendants and its associated organizations have concealed and disguised the painting's ownership and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to hide how and when the institution came into control of the piece; the family's possession of the Painting from several years; and the facts that the Nazis confiscated the artwork from the Stern family, forced the couple into parting with it via a trustee, and took the money of the deal.

Prior Cases

The descendants submitted a similar complaint in CA in the year 2022, but it was rejected in 2024. An legal challenge was also denied in recently.

The Met's Position

The legal action argues that the institution's buying of the artwork was approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and a renowned specialist on art theft during the Nazi era. The institution and its expert knew or should have known that the artwork had likely been looted by Nazis.

The Met issued a statement that it takes seriously its longstanding commitment to resolve Nazi-era claims.

An official stated: Never during the institution's custody of the piece was there any evidence that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – actually, that data did not become known until a long time after the painting left the Museum's collection.

The institution's deaccessioning of the Van Gogh met the Met's guidelines for deaccessioning – specifically, it was noted that the piece was judged to be of lesser quality than other pieces of the comparable nature in the inventory. Although the institution maintains its stance that this work entered the inventory and was sold legally and well within all rules and regulations, the institution welcomes and will consider any additional details that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

A lawyer on behalf of the Goulandris Foundation stated: The institution is a highly prestigious organization in the Greek capital. The effort to take legal action against the institution and the Goulandris family in the America upon inaccurate and partial claims was earlier rejected, twice. We are certain it will be a third time.