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The family members of a Jewish pair have initiated legal proceedings against New York's Metropolitan Museum, alleging that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was seized by Nazi forces.

Historical Background

As stated in the lawsuit, the Stern couple acquired the artwork, titled Olive Picking, in 1935. Just one year later, they were obliged to escape their dwelling in the German city of Munich just before World War II.

The complaint argues that the institution, which purchased the artwork in the mid-1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, should have known it was probably stolen property. The family are now demanding the return of the canvas along with compensation.

Since the end of WWII, this plundered piece has been often and discreetly exchanged, acquired and disposed of in and through New York, claims the court document.

The Sterns' Escape

The Stern family fled from Munich to America in 1936 with their large family due to persecution by the Nazis. Nevertheless, they were barred from transporting the painting, which was produced by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century.

Prior to their departure, the Nazi government declared the artwork as German cultural property and banned the Sterns from taking it abroad. Following authorization from a Third Reich agent, a representative appointed by the authorities sold the painting on the family's behalf. Yet, the funds from the auction were deposited in a blocked account, which the Nazis later took.

Post-War History

In 1948, or soon after, the painting entered the United States and was bought by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Later, it was transferred through a gallery to the Met, which then transferred it to wealthy Greek businessman Basil Goulandris and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

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

Legal Arguments

BEG and a surviving nephew of Basil Goulandris are listed as respondents. The lawsuit states that the family and its related entities have covered up the painting's ownership and whereabouts from the heirs.

Currently, the defendants continue to conceal how and when the BEG came into ownership of the artwork; the couple's ownership of the masterpiece from the mid-1930s; and the facts that the Third Reich confiscated the Painting from the heirs, coerced the family into parting with it via a trustee, and confiscated the proceeds of the sale.

Previous Legal Action

The descendants submitted a similar complaint in the state of California in the year 2022, but it was thrown out in 2024. An legal challenge was also denied in recently.

The Met's Position

The legal action states that the institution's buying of the artwork was authorized by a curator, the Met's authority of European art and a renowned specialist on art theft during the Nazi era. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the Painting had likely been stolen by the Nazis.

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

An official stated: Never during the museum's possession of the piece was there any documentation that it had once belonged to the Stern family – in fact, that knowledge did not become known until many years after the artwork left the institution's holdings.

The institution's deaccessioning of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – in particular, it was noted that the piece was considered to be of lower caliber than other works of the same type in the holdings. Even though The Met respectfully stands by its view that this piece entered the collection and was removed legally and well within all standards and procedures, the museum welcomes and will consider any new information that emerges.

Goulandris Statement

Legal counsel representing the foundation stated: The institution is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The attempt to litigate and defame the organization and the defendants in the United States upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was previously dismissed, on two occasions. We are convinced it will be again.