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The family members of a Jewish spouses have brought a case against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, claiming that a the Dutch artist oil painting was looted by the Nazis.

Case History

According to the legal filing, the Stern couple bought the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in 1935. The following year, they were obliged to escape their residence in Munich prior to the Second World War.

The suit argues that the Met, which obtained the masterpiece in the 1950s for a significant sum, should have known it was probably stolen property. The heirs are now seeking the restitution of the canvas along with compensation.

Following World War II, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, purchased and sold in and through NYC, states the court document.

Forced Emigration

Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped from Munich to California in 1936 with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. However, they were prevented from taking the artwork, which was created by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century.

Before they left, Nazi authorities classified the artwork as property of the state and forbade the couple from taking it abroad. Once approved from a regime representative, a agent appointed by the regime auctioned the piece on the family's behalf. However, the funds from the auction were placed in a restricted account, which the regime later took.

Subsequent Ownership

By 1948, or shortly after, the painting entered the United States and was acquired by a prominent figure, a member of the Astor family. Later, it was transferred through a commercial outlet to the institution, which then sold it to wealthy Greek businessman Goulandris and his partner, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.

Basil and Elise founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which operates a museum in Athens where the painting is currently shown.

Claims and Defenses

The foundation and a family member of Goulandris are named as defendants. The legal action states that the defendants and its associated organizations have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and whereabouts from the heirs.

Even now, the foundation continue to obscure the circumstances the foundation came into ownership of the Painting; the Stern family's ownership of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the facts that the Third Reich looted the canvas from the heirs, coerced the Sterns into parting with it via a regime representative, and seized the funds of the deal.

Prior Cases

The Stern heirs filed a comparable case in California in 2022, but it was thrown out in 2024. An further action was also denied in recently.

The Met's Position

The lawsuit states that the museum's acquisition of the piece was authorized by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the Met's authority of European art and a leading authority on Nazi art looting. Rousseau and the Met were aware or ought to have been aware that the Painting had almost certainly been seized by Nazis.

The institution responded that it takes seriously its historical dedication to resolve Nazi-era claims.

A spokesperson stated: At no time during the museum's possession of the piece was there any record that it had once belonged to the family – actually, that information did not become known until a long time after the masterpiece left the Met's possession.

The institution's deaccessioning of the Van Gogh met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – specifically, it was documented that the artwork was deemed to be of inferior standard than other pieces of the same type in the holdings. Although the museum maintains its position that this work entered the holdings and was sold properly and well within all guidelines and policies, the institution welcomes and will consider any new information that is discovered.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel on behalf of the Goulandris Foundation commented: The institution is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The action to sue and smear the Foundation and the Goulandris family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, twice. We are certain it will be once more.