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The family members of a Jewish spouses have brought a case against The Met, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh oil painting was seized by the Third Reich.

Case History

Per the legal filing, Frederick and Hedwig Stern purchased the piece, titled Gathering Olives, in the year 1935. The following year, they were forced to flee their dwelling in Munich, Germany just before the Second World War.

The complaint contends that the museum, which obtained the masterpiece in 1956 for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, should have known it was probably confiscated property. The descendants are now seeking the restitution of the artwork along with compensation.

Since the end of WWII, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through the city of New York, alleges the legal filing.

The Sterns' Escape

Hedwig and Frederick Stern fled from the city of Munich to California in 1936 with their offspring due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were unable to bring the Van Gogh piece, which was produced by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Before they left, the Nazi government declared the artwork as German cultural property and banned the Sterns from bringing it with them. Following authorization from a Third Reich agent, a trustee assigned by the authorities sold the piece on the family's behalf. Yet, the money from the transaction were held in a frozen account, which the regime later confiscated.

Subsequent Ownership

Around 1948, or soon after, the canvas was brought to NYC and was acquired by a prominent figure, a member of the Astor family. Later, it was sold through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then passed it on to wealthy Greek businessman Goulandris and his partner, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

The Greek couple founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which operates a museum in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently exhibited.

Claims and Defenses

The institution and a family member of Basil Goulandris are listed as respondents. The filing states that the family and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the masterpiece's history and whereabouts from the family.

Currently, the foundation continue to hide how and when the BEG came into control of the piece; the Stern family's ownership of the artwork from the mid-1930s; and the truth that the Nazis looted the Painting from the family, coerced the family into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the money of the deal.

Previous Legal Action

The Stern heirs initiated a comparable case in CA in 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An further action was also denied in recently.

Museum's Response

The lawsuit argues that the Met's purchase of the painting was approved by the museum's expert, the museum's curator of European art and a leading authority on Nazi-era looted art. The institution and its expert were aware or ought to have been aware that the Painting had almost certainly been seized by Nazis.

The Met responded that it takes seriously its historical dedication to handle claims from the Nazi period.

A representative commented: At no time during the institution's custody of the artwork was there any evidence that it had once belonged to the heirs – in fact, that knowledge did not become available until several decades after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings.

The museum's disposal of the Van Gogh met the museum's strict criteria for deaccessioning – namely, it was noted that the work was deemed to be of inferior standard than additional artworks of the same type in the holdings. While the institution upholds its view that this artwork entered the holdings and was deaccessioned properly and well within all guidelines and policies, the institution invites and will examine any new information that emerges.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel acting for the foundation stated: The Goulandris Foundation is a esteemed foundation in Athens. The action to litigate and defame the institution and the Goulandris family in the United States upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was previously dismissed, on two occasions. We are confident it will be once more.