🔗 Share this article

The descendants of a Jewish spouses have filed a lawsuit against The Met, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was looted by the Nazis.

Historical Background

Per the legal filing, the Stern couple purchased the piece, titled Olive Picking, in the mid-1930s. A year after, they were forced to flee their residence in Munich prior to the Second World War.

The suit argues that the museum, which obtained the painting in 1956 for $125,000, must have realized it was probably looted property. The descendants are now requesting the return of the canvas along with damages.

In the decades since WWII, this plundered piece has been often and discreetly exchanged, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, alleges the legal filing.

Forced Emigration

The Stern family fled from the city of Munich to the United States in the late 1930s with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. Yet, they were prevented from taking the Van Gogh piece, which was created by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Before they left, the Nazi government declared the painting as property of the state and forbade the couple from bringing it with them. Following authorization from a Nazi official, a agent designated by the authorities disposed of the painting on the couple's behalf. However, the proceeds from the auction were held in a restricted account, which the Nazis later seized.

Later Transactions

Around 1948, or soon after, the artwork was brought to New York and was purchased by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Subsequently, it was transferred through a art dealer to the Met, which then sold it to prominent shipowner Basil Goulandris and his partner, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

Basil and Elise set up the BEG in the late 1970s, which operates a institution in Athens, Greece where the artwork is currently exhibited.

Legal Arguments

The foundation and a surviving nephew of the magnate are named as defendants. The legal action states that the Goulandris family and its related entities have covered up the masterpiece's history and location from the plaintiffs.

Even now, the Goulandris Defendants continue to hide the manner and time the foundation came into possession of the Painting; the family's possession of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the reality that the Third Reich stole the Painting from the Stern family, coerced the family into parting with it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and seized the funds of the transaction.

Prior Cases

The family submitted a comparable case in California in the year 2022, but it was rejected in 2024. An appeal was also dismissed in recently.

Museum's Response

The legal action argues that the Met's purchase of the painting was sanctioned by a curator, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on art theft during the Nazi era. Rousseau and the Met knew or should have known that the masterpiece had likely been seized by the Nazis.

The institution issued a statement that it takes seriously its longstanding commitment to resolve Nazi-era claims.

A spokesperson stated: At no time during the institution's custody of the artwork was there any record that it had earlier been possessed to the Stern family – in fact, that information did not become accessible until several decades after the masterpiece left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of the Van Gogh met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – in particular, it was recorded that the artwork was considered to be of lower caliber than other pieces of the similar kind in the collection. Even though the institution maintains its stance that this artwork entered the holdings and was sold lawfully and well within all guidelines and policies, the Met welcomes and will consider any further evidence that is discovered.

Goulandris Statement

William Charron on behalf of the foundation said: The institution is a esteemed foundation in Athens. The action to take legal action against the institution and the Goulandris family in the America upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, multiple times. We are convinced it will be again.