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The heirs of a Jewish pair have filed a lawsuit against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh oil painting was stolen by the Third Reich.

Case History

As stated in the lawsuit, Hedwig and Frederick Stern bought the artwork, titled Gathering Olives, in the mid-1930s. Just one year later, they were obliged to escape their residence in the German city of Munich on the eve of the Second World War.

The legal action contends that the institution, which obtained the artwork in 1956 for a significant sum, should have known it was likely confiscated property. The descendants are now demanding the return of the painting along with compensation.

In the decades since the war, this stolen artwork has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, bought and sold in and through NYC, alleges the court document.

Family's Flight

The Stern family departed from the city of Munich to the United States in 1936 with their offspring due to persecution by the Nazis. Yet, they were unable to bring the Van Gogh piece, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Before they left, the Nazi government designated the artwork as a German cultural asset and banned the couple from exporting it. Following authorization from a Third Reich agent, a agent appointed by the authorities sold the piece on the Sterns' behalf. But, the proceeds from the auction were deposited in a blocked account, which the regime later took.

Later Transactions

Around 1948, or shortly after, the canvas was brought to New York and was bought by a prominent figure, a member of the Astor family. Subsequently, it was transferred through a commercial outlet to the institution, which then passed it on to prominent shipowner the magnate and his wife, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair founded the Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which runs a gallery in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently exhibited.

Court Allegations

The institution and a surviving nephew of the magnate are named as defendants. The legal action states that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have covered up the artwork's provenance and location from the plaintiffs.

Currently, the foundation continue to hide the circumstances the foundation came into ownership of the artwork; the Stern family's ownership of the artwork from the mid-1930s; and the facts that the regime looted the artwork from the Stern family, forced the Sterns into selling it via a regime representative, and confiscated the money of the deal.

Earlier Lawsuits

The family initiated a similar complaint in the state of California in recently, but it was dismissed in 2024. An further action was also rejected in recently.

Museum's Response

The lawsuit states that the Met's purchase of the piece was authorized by the museum's expert, the museum's curator of European art and a leading authority on art theft during the Nazi era. The curator and the museum were aware or ought to have been aware that the masterpiece had likely been seized by Nazis.

The museum issued a statement that it is committed to its longstanding commitment to address claims from the Nazi period.

A representative remarked: Not once during the museum's possession of the artwork was there any documentation that it had earlier been possessed to the Stern family – indeed, that data did not become accessible until several decades after the painting left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of Olive Picking met the Met's guidelines for disposal – namely, it was noted that the piece was deemed to be of lesser quality than other works of the similar kind in the inventory. Even though The Met maintains its view that this piece entered the holdings and was removed legally and well within all standards and procedures, the institution is open to and will review any further evidence that emerges.

Foundation's Defense

A lawyer representing the Goulandris Foundation said: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The attempt to take legal action against the Foundation and the defendants in the United States upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was earlier rejected, twice. We are confident it will be once more.