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The family members of a Jewish couple have filed a lawsuit against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, alleging that a Van Gogh art piece was looted by the Third Reich.

Origins of the Dispute

As stated in the court documents, Hedwig and Frederick Stern acquired the piece, titled Olive Picking, in the year 1935. The following year, they were compelled to leave their residence in Munich, Germany just before the Second World War.

The suit argues that the museum, which acquired the artwork in the mid-1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, should have known it was probably stolen property. The descendants are now requesting the return of the canvas along with compensation.

Since the end of the war, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through New York, alleges the legal filing.

Forced Emigration

Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped from Munich to the United States in the late 1930s with their six children due to persecution by the Nazis. Nevertheless, they were barred from transporting the Van Gogh piece, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Before the family's emigration, the Nazi government designated the masterpiece as property of the state and forbade the Sterns from bringing it with them. After obtaining permission from a Nazi official, a trustee assigned by the regime disposed of the painting on the couple's behalf. But, the funds from the transaction were deposited in a frozen account, which the authorities later confiscated.

Subsequent Ownership

Around 1948, or soon after, the artwork was brought to New York and was bought by a wealthy American, a member of the Astor family. Eventually, it was sold through a art dealer to the Met, which then sold it to prominent shipowner the magnate and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise founded the BEG in the late 1970s, which manages a museum in Athens where the artwork is currently shown.

Legal Arguments

The foundation and a surviving nephew of Goulandris are identified in the suit. The lawsuit states that the family and its affiliates have covered up the artwork's provenance and location from the heirs.

Even now, the foundation continue to hide the circumstances the foundation came into possession of the piece; the Stern family's ownership of the masterpiece from the mid-1930s; and the reality that the Nazis confiscated the Painting from the heirs, forced the couple into parting with it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the proceeds of the sale.

Earlier Lawsuits

The Stern heirs submitted a similar complaint in the state of California in recently, but it was rejected in 2024. An legal challenge was also rejected in recently.

Institution's Statement

The complaint contends that the museum's acquisition of the painting was approved by a curator, the museum's curator of Old Masters and a leading authority on art theft during the Nazi era. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the Painting had likely been seized by the Nazis.

The institution issued a statement that it is committed to its historical dedication to handle Nazi-era claims.

An official remarked: Not once during The Met's ownership of the piece was there any documentation that it had once belonged to the heirs – in fact, that knowledge did not become known until many years after the masterpiece left the Met's possession.

The museum's disposal of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – in particular, it was recorded that the work was judged to be of inferior standard than other pieces of the comparable nature in the inventory. Although the museum respectfully stands by its stance that this piece entered the collection and was sold properly and well within all rules and regulations, the Met is open to and will review any new information that is discovered.

BEG's Response

Legal counsel acting for the foundation said: BEG is a highly prestigious organization in the Greek capital. The action to take legal action against the institution and the Goulandris family in the US upon inaccurate and partial claims was previously dismissed, on two occasions. We are confident it will be again.