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The heirs of a Jewish spouses have filed a lawsuit against The Met, asserting that a the Dutch artist oil painting was looted by the Third Reich.

Case History

According to the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the painting, titled Olive Picking, in the mid-1930s. Just one year later, they were forced to flee their residence in the German city of Munich prior to World War II.

The complaint contends that the institution, which acquired the masterpiece in 1956 for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, must have realized it was likely looted property. The family are now seeking the restitution of the artwork along with compensation.

In the decades since WWII, this Nazi-looted painting has been often and discreetly exchanged, purchased and sold in and through the city of New York, claims the lawsuit.

Forced Emigration

Hedwig and Frederick Stern departed from the city of Munich to America in 1936 with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. However, they were unable to bring the Van Gogh piece, which was created by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Before they left, the regime designated the artwork as German cultural property and banned the Sterns from bringing it with them. After obtaining permission from a Nazi official, a trustee assigned by the Nazis disposed of the piece on the Sterns' behalf. But, the proceeds from the sale were deposited in a blocked account, which the Nazis later seized.

Subsequent Ownership

Around 1948, or soon after, the artwork was brought to NYC and was bought by a prominent figure, one of America's wealthiest people. Subsequently, it was sold through a art dealer to the museum, which then passed it on to Greek shipping magnate Goulandris and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

The Goulandris pair set up the BEG in 1979, which operates a institution in Athens where the artwork is currently exhibited.

Claims and Defenses

The foundation and a family member of Goulandris are listed as respondents. The lawsuit states that the family and its affiliates have covered up the masterpiece's history and location from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the foundation continue to obscure the circumstances the institution came into control of the Painting; the family's possession of the masterpiece from 1935 to 1938; and the facts that the Third Reich looted the artwork from the Stern family, forced the couple into parting with it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and took the funds of the sale.

Earlier Lawsuits

The descendants submitted a related lawsuit in the state of California in recently, but it was thrown out in 2024. An appeal was also dismissed in recently.

The Met's Position

The legal action contends that the Met's purchase of the artwork was authorized by a curator, the institution's specialist of European art and a renowned specialist on Nazi-era looted art. Rousseau and the Met knew or should have known that the artwork had likely been stolen by the regime.

The institution responded that it prioritizes its longstanding commitment to address claims from the Nazi period.

A spokesperson stated: Not once during The Met's ownership of the painting was there any evidence that it had earlier been possessed to the Stern family – indeed, that data did not become known until a long time after the painting left the Met's possession.

The institution's deaccessioning of the artwork met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – specifically, it was recorded that the artwork was deemed to be of lower caliber than other pieces of the same type in the collection. While The Met upholds its position that this artwork entered the collection and was sold legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the Met invites and will examine any new information that emerges.

BEG's Response

Legal counsel representing BEG said: The institution is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The effort to sue and smear the institution and the Goulandris family in the United States upon inaccurate and partial claims was earlier rejected, on two occasions. We are confident it will be again.