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The descendants of a Jewish spouses have brought a case against New York's Metropolitan Museum, alleging that a the Dutch artist art piece was seized by the Third Reich.

Historical Background

As stated in the court documents, the Stern couple bought the painting, titled Olive Harvest, in the year 1935. The following year, they were obliged to escape their home in the German city of Munich on the eve of World War II.

The suit argues that the museum, which obtained the painting in the mid-1950s for a significant sum, ought to have been aware it was likely looted property. The descendants are now requesting the repatriation of the artwork along with damages.

Since the end of WWII, this plundered piece has been often and discreetly exchanged, bought and sold in and through New York, alleges the lawsuit.

The Sterns' Escape

The Sterns fled from the city of Munich to California in the late 1930s with their offspring due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were barred from transporting the artwork, which was created by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Prior to their departure, the Nazi government declared the masterpiece as property of the state and prohibited the Sterns from exporting it. After obtaining permission from a Nazi official, a representative appointed by the Nazis disposed of the piece on the Sterns' behalf. However, the funds from the sale were deposited in a frozen account, which the authorities later seized.

Post-War History

In 1948, or not long after, the painting entered the United States and was acquired by Vincent Astor, a member of the Astor family. Later, it was sold through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate Basil Goulandris and his partner, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

The Greek couple founded the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a institution in the Greek capital where the masterpiece is currently on display.

Legal Arguments

The foundation and a family member of Goulandris are listed as respondents. The legal action claims that the defendants and its related entities have covered up the painting's ownership and current place from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the foundation continue to obscure the circumstances the foundation came into control of the artwork; the couple's ownership of the Painting from 1935 to 1938; and the reality that the regime looted the Painting from the family, coerced the Sterns into parting with it via a trustee, and took the funds of the sale.

Previous Legal Action

The Stern heirs initiated a related lawsuit in CA in 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An legal challenge was also denied in recently.

Institution's Statement

The legal action contends that the institution's buying of the piece was approved by a curator, the Met's authority of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on art theft during the Nazi era. Rousseau and the Met were aware or ought to have been aware that the Painting had likely been looted by Nazis.

The Met issued a statement that it is committed to its longstanding commitment to resolve Nazi-era claims.

A representative remarked: At no time during the museum's possession of the piece was there any record that it had once belonged to the Stern family – indeed, that data did not become accessible until several decades after the masterpiece left the Museum's collection.

The institution's deaccessioning of the Van Gogh met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – in particular, it was noted that the piece was considered to be of lower caliber than other pieces of the similar kind in the collection. Even though The Met respectfully stands by its view that this piece entered the collection and was deaccessioned lawfully and well within all standards and procedures, the institution invites and will examine any further evidence that comes to light.

BEG's Response

William Charron on behalf of the foundation commented: BEG is a renowned institution in Greece. The action to litigate and defame the Foundation and the family in the US upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was already thrown out, multiple times. We are confident it will be a third time.