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The descendants of a Jewish spouses have brought a case against The Met, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh oil painting was seized by the Nazis.

Historical Background

According to the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern purchased the piece, titled Olive Picking, in the mid-1930s. A year after, they were obliged to escape their dwelling in the German city of Munich prior to World War II.

The suit states that the museum, which purchased the painting in 1956 for a significant sum, ought to have been aware it was almost certainly stolen property. The family are now demanding the repatriation of the painting along with damages.

Following World War II, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, acquired and disposed of in and through NYC, alleges the legal filing.

The Sterns' Escape

Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped from their Munich home to California in 1936 with their large family due to Nazi persecution. However, they were barred from transporting the Van Gogh piece, which was created by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Before they left, the regime classified the artwork as German cultural property and banned the Sterns from exporting it. Following authorization from a regime representative, a representative designated by the authorities auctioned the painting on the Sterns' behalf. Yet, the funds from the transaction were held in a blocked account, which the authorities later took.

Subsequent Ownership

Around 1948, or shortly after, the painting entered the United States and was purchased by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Subsequently, it was sold through a art dealer to the museum, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate the magnate and his partner, Elise, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair founded the BEG in 1979, which manages a gallery in Athens, Greece where the artwork is currently on display.

Court Allegations

The institution and a surviving nephew of Basil Goulandris are listed as respondents. The legal action alleges that the defendants and its associated organizations have covered up the artwork's provenance and location from the heirs.

To this day, the foundation continue to conceal how and when the BEG came into control of the artwork; the Stern family's ownership of the artwork from the mid-1930s; and the facts that the regime confiscated the artwork from the heirs, coerced the family into parting with it via a trustee, and took the proceeds of the deal.

Prior Cases

The descendants submitted a comparable case in the state of California in 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An further action was also dismissed in recently.

Museum's Response

The legal action contends that the Met's purchase of the artwork was authorized by the museum's expert, the Met's authority of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi art looting. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the masterpiece had almost certainly been looted by Nazis.

The museum responded that it prioritizes its ongoing pledge to address claims from the Nazi period.

A spokesperson commented: Never during the museum's possession of the painting was there any documentation that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – in fact, that information did not become accessible until a long time after the artwork left the institution's holdings.

The museum's disposal of the Van Gogh met the museum's strict criteria for deaccessioning – specifically, it was noted that the piece was judged to be of lower caliber than other pieces of the same type in the inventory. While The Met upholds its stance that this work entered the inventory and was removed properly and well within all rules and regulations, the Met welcomes and will consider any additional details that emerges.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel acting for the foundation stated: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in Athens. The effort to litigate and defame the institution and the family in the America upon inaccurate and partial claims was already thrown out, multiple times. We are confident it will be again.