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The descendants of a Jewish pair have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh oil painting was stolen by the Third Reich.

Historical Background

As stated in the lawsuit, Hedwig and Frederick Stern purchased the piece, titled Olive Picking, in the mid-1930s. Just one year later, they were forced to flee their residence in the German city of Munich on the eve of World War II.

The legal action contends that the institution, which acquired the artwork in the mid-1950s for $125,000, ought to have been aware it was probably stolen property. The descendants are now seeking the return of the artwork along with financial restitution.

In the decades since the war, this stolen artwork has been often and discreetly exchanged, purchased and sold in and through NYC, claims the court document.

Forced Emigration

Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped from the city of Munich to the United States in 1936 with their large family due to the oppressive Nazi regime. However, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was created by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Before the family's emigration, the Nazi government designated the artwork as property of the state and forbade the Sterns from bringing it with them. Once approved from a Third Reich agent, a agent appointed by the Nazis disposed of the piece on the couple's behalf. However, the funds from the auction were held in a restricted account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Later Transactions

By 1948, or shortly after, the artwork entered the United States and was purchased by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Eventually, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the Met, which then passed it on to Greek shipping magnate Goulandris and his spouse, Mrs. Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

The Greek couple set up the Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which manages a museum in the Greek capital where the masterpiece is currently on display.

Claims and Defenses

The foundation and a family member of the magnate are named as defendants. The legal action states that the Goulandris family and its related entities have concealed and disguised the artwork's provenance and current place from the plaintiffs.

Even now, the defendants continue to obscure how and when the foundation came into ownership of the piece; the Stern family's ownership of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the facts that the Nazis stole the Painting from the heirs, pressured the family into disposing of it via a trustee, and confiscated the funds of the deal.

Earlier Lawsuits

The family initiated a related lawsuit in the state of California in the year 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An appeal was also dismissed in recently.

Institution's Statement

The legal action states that the Met's purchase of the piece was approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and a leading authority on Nazi art looting. Rousseau and the Met must have known that the artwork had likely been seized by the regime.

The Met responded that it is committed to its ongoing pledge to handle claims from the Nazi period.

A representative remarked: At no time during the museum's possession of the painting was there any record that it had earlier been possessed to the heirs – actually, that information did not become available until a long time after the painting left the Museum's collection.

The museum's disposal of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – namely, it was recorded that the artwork was considered to be of inferior standard than other works of the same type in the collection. While the museum upholds its position that this artwork entered the inventory and was deaccessioned legally and well within all standards and procedures, the Met invites and will examine any new information that emerges.

BEG's Response

Legal counsel on behalf of the Goulandris Foundation stated: The institution is a renowned institution in Greece. The action to sue and smear the institution and the Goulandris family in the US upon inaccurate and partial claims was previously dismissed, on two occasions. We are certain it will be again.