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The descendants of a Jewish spouses have filed a lawsuit against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was seized by the Third Reich.

Case History

As stated in the legal filing, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in 1935. The following year, they were forced to flee their home in Munich, Germany just before World War II.

The legal action argues that the museum, which obtained the masterpiece in 1956 for $125,000, must have realized it was probably looted property. The heirs are now demanding the return of the painting along with damages.

Since the end of World War II, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through NYC, claims the legal filing.

The Sterns' Escape

The Sterns escaped from the city of Munich to America in the late 1930s with their large family due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Nevertheless, they were barred from transporting the artwork, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Before they left, the Nazi government classified the masterpiece as German cultural property and banned the family from bringing it with them. Following authorization from a regime representative, a trustee designated by the regime disposed of the painting on the family's behalf. Yet, the proceeds from the auction were placed in a blocked account, which the Nazis later took.

Subsequent Ownership

By 1948, or soon after, the artwork arrived in NYC and was bought by a wealthy American, a member of the Astor family. Subsequently, it was sold through a art dealer to the institution, which then transferred it to wealthy Greek businessman Basil Goulandris and his wife, Elise, in the early 1970s.

The Greek couple established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a museum in Athens, Greece where the artwork is currently on display.

Claims and Defenses

The institution and a surviving nephew of Basil Goulandris are identified in the suit. The filing alleges that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have concealed and disguised the painting's ownership and location from the plaintiffs.

Currently, the foundation continue to obscure the manner and time the institution came into control of the piece; the couple's ownership of the artwork from several years; and the truth that the Nazis stole the Painting from the heirs, pressured the Sterns into disposing of it via a regime representative, and seized the funds of the sale.

Prior Cases

The Stern heirs submitted a similar complaint in California in 2022, but it was rejected in 2024. An appeal was also denied in recently.

Institution's Statement

The lawsuit argues that the Met's purchase of the piece was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the Met's authority of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on art theft during the Nazi era. Rousseau and the Met must have known that the masterpiece had almost certainly been looted by the regime.

The institution said in a statement that it prioritizes its historical dedication to address claims from the Nazi period.

A spokesperson commented: Never during the museum's possession of the painting was there any record that it had earlier been possessed to the heirs – actually, that information did not become available until many years after the masterpiece left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of the Van Gogh met the museum's strict criteria for deaccessioning – in particular, it was documented that the work was deemed to be of lower caliber than other works of the comparable nature in the holdings. Even though the museum upholds its stance that this piece entered the holdings and was deaccessioned lawfully and well within all standards and procedures, the institution welcomes and will consider any additional details that is discovered.

Foundation's Defense

William Charron representing the Goulandris Foundation commented: BEG is a renowned institution in the Greek capital. The attempt to sue and smear the Foundation and the Goulandris family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was previously dismissed, on two occasions. We are certain it will be once more.