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The family members of a Jewish couple have filed a lawsuit against The Met, alleging that a Van Gogh canvas was stolen by Nazi forces.

Case History

Per the legal filing, Frederick and Hedwig Stern bought the artwork, titled Gathering Olives, in 1935. The following year, they were forced to flee their residence in Munich prior to World War II.

The legal action states that the museum, which acquired the painting in 1956 for $125,000, ought to have been aware it was likely confiscated property. The descendants are now seeking the repatriation of the artwork along with compensation.

Following the war, this Nazi-looted painting has been often and discreetly exchanged, purchased and sold in and through NYC, claims the court document.

The Sterns' Escape

The Stern family fled from Munich to California in 1936 with their large family due to Nazi persecution. Yet, they were prevented from taking the artwork, which was created by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century.

Prior to their departure, the Nazi government designated the masterpiece as German cultural property and banned the couple from taking it abroad. Once approved from a Nazi official, a agent assigned by the Nazis disposed of the painting on the family's behalf. But, the funds from the sale were deposited in a restricted account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Later Transactions

Around 1948, or shortly after, the canvas arrived in NYC and was acquired by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Later, it was sold through a gallery to the museum, which then sold it to prominent shipowner Basil Goulandris and his spouse, Elise, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair set up the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a museum in Athens where the artwork is currently shown.

Claims and Defenses

The foundation and a living relative of the magnate are identified in the suit. The filing states that the Goulandris family and its affiliates have covered up the masterpiece's history and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the defendants continue to conceal how and when the institution came into ownership of the Painting; the couple's ownership of the Painting from several years; and the reality that the regime confiscated the artwork from the Stern family, pressured the Sterns into selling it via a trustee, and took the funds of the transaction.

Prior Cases

The family submitted a similar complaint in the state of California in recently, but it was thrown out in the following years. An legal challenge was also dismissed in recently.

Museum's Response

The legal action states that the Met's purchase of the artwork was authorized by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the Met's authority of European art and one of the world's foremost experts on art theft during the Nazi era. Rousseau and the Met must have known that the masterpiece had probably been stolen by the Nazis.

The museum said in a statement that it takes seriously its ongoing pledge to resolve Nazi-era claims.

A spokesperson stated: At no time during the institution's custody of the piece was there any documentation that it had previously been owned to the heirs – actually, that knowledge did not become available until many years after the artwork left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of the Van Gogh met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – namely, it was recorded that the piece was judged to be of inferior standard than other pieces of the comparable nature in the collection. While the museum upholds its view that this artwork entered the inventory and was sold legally and well within all rules and regulations, the Met welcomes and will consider any additional details that emerges.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel on behalf of the foundation stated: BEG is a esteemed foundation in Athens. The effort to litigate and defame the organization and the defendants in the America upon inaccurate and partial claims was already thrown out, multiple times. We are certain it will be a third time.