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The descendants of a Jewish spouses have filed a lawsuit against The Met, claiming that a Van Gogh art piece was stolen by the Third Reich.

Case History

As stated in the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern bought the painting, titled Olive Picking, in 1935. Just one year later, they were compelled to leave their residence in the German city of Munich prior to World War II.

The complaint argues that the Met, which acquired the artwork in the mid-1950s for $125,000, must have realized it was almost certainly stolen property. The heirs are now seeking the repatriation of the artwork along with financial restitution.

Since the end of the war, this stolen artwork has been often and discreetly exchanged, bought and sold in and through New York, states the legal filing.

Forced Emigration

The Stern family fled from the city of Munich to the United States in 1936 with their six children due to Nazi persecution. Nevertheless, they were barred from transporting the artwork, which was painted by the celebrated artist in 1889.

Before the family's emigration, Nazi authorities declared the masterpiece as property of the state and prohibited the couple from exporting it. Once approved from a Third Reich agent, a representative designated by the authorities sold the painting on the couple's behalf. But, the proceeds from the sale were held in a frozen account, which the authorities later took.

Subsequent Ownership

Around 1948, or shortly after, the canvas arrived in NYC and was bought by Vincent Astor, one of America's wealthiest people. Eventually, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the institution, which then transferred it to Greek shipping magnate Basil Goulandris and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise established the BEG in 1979, which operates a museum in Athens where the masterpiece is currently exhibited.

Legal Arguments

The foundation and a living relative of Basil Goulandris are identified in the suit. The legal action alleges that the family and its related entities have hidden and obscured the artwork's provenance and current place from the heirs.

Even now, the Goulandris Defendants continue to conceal the circumstances the foundation came into possession of the piece; the couple's ownership of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the truth that the regime stole the Painting from the Stern family, forced the family into disposing of it via a regime representative, and confiscated the proceeds of the transaction.

Earlier Lawsuits

The family submitted a similar complaint in the state of California in recently, but it was rejected in 2024. An appeal was also rejected in recently.

The Met's Position

The legal action states that the Met's purchase of the artwork was approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the museum's curator of European art and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi art looting. Rousseau and the Met knew or should have known that the masterpiece had likely been seized by Nazis.

The institution said in a statement that it takes seriously its longstanding commitment to address claims from the Nazi period.

A representative commented: Not once during the institution's custody of the piece was there any documentation that it had earlier been possessed to the family – indeed, that information did not become known until a long time after the painting left the Met's possession.

The museum's disposal of the artwork met the museum's strict criteria for disposal – namely, it was noted that the work was considered to be of inferior standard than other pieces of the similar kind in the holdings. Even though The Met upholds its position that this work entered the holdings and was removed lawfully and well within all rules and regulations, the museum is open to and will review any new information that emerges.

Goulandris Statement

Legal counsel representing BEG commented: The institution is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The attempt to take legal action against the Foundation and the family in the America upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was previously dismissed, twice. We are confident it will be again.