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The heirs of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, asserting that a Van Gogh canvas was looted by Nazi forces.

Origins of the Dispute

As stated in the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern purchased the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in the mid-1930s. A year after, they were obliged to escape their home in Munich, Germany just before WWII.

The legal action argues that the institution, which obtained the painting in the mid-1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, ought to have been aware it was probably confiscated property. The heirs are now demanding the return of the canvas along with compensation.

In the decades since WWII, this plundered piece has been often and discreetly exchanged, purchased and sold in and through the city of New York, states the legal filing.

Family's Flight

The Stern family departed from Munich to the United States in 1936 with their six children due to persecution by the Nazis. Nevertheless, they were unable to bring the artwork, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Before they left, the regime declared the masterpiece as property of the state and banned the couple from taking it abroad. Once approved from a Nazi official, a trustee appointed by the Nazis sold the painting on the family's behalf. But, the funds from the transaction were held in a frozen account, which the authorities later took.

Subsequent Ownership

Around 1948, or not long after, the artwork entered the United States and was bought by Vincent Astor, among the richest individuals in the US. Subsequently, it was exchanged through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate Basil Goulandris and his partner, Elise, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise set up the BEG in 1979, which runs a gallery in Athens, Greece where the artwork is currently on display.

Court Allegations

BEG and a living relative of Goulandris are identified in the suit. The lawsuit states that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the masterpiece's history and current place from the heirs.

Currently, the defendants continue to hide how and when the foundation came into possession of the artwork; the couple's ownership of the Painting from 1935 to 1938; and the facts that the Nazis confiscated the Painting from the family, coerced the Sterns into disposing of it via a regime representative, and took the funds of the transaction.

Prior Cases

The descendants filed a comparable case in CA in 2022, but it was thrown out in 2024. An legal challenge was also rejected in recently.

The Met's Position

The lawsuit states that the institution's buying of the painting was authorized by the museum's expert, the museum's curator of European paintings and a leading authority on Nazi-era looted art. Rousseau and the Met must have known that the artwork had likely been looted by the regime.

The Met said in a statement that it prioritizes its longstanding commitment to resolve Nazi-era claims.

A representative commented: Never during The Met's ownership of the painting was there any documentation that it had once belonged to the heirs – in fact, that knowledge did not become known until a long time after the artwork left the institution's holdings.

The institution's deaccessioning of the Van Gogh met the Met's guidelines for deaccessioning – in particular, it was documented that the piece was deemed to be of inferior standard than other works of the similar kind in the holdings. Although the institution respectfully stands by its view that this work entered the holdings and was removed legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the museum invites and will examine any further evidence that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

William Charron representing the foundation said: BEG is a esteemed foundation in Athens. The action to sue and smear the organization and the family in the US upon inaccurate and partial claims was previously dismissed, multiple times. We are confident it will be a third time.