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The descendants of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, asserting that a the Dutch artist canvas was looted by the Third Reich.

Origins of the Dispute

According to the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern bought the artwork, titled Gathering Olives, in the mid-1930s. A year after, they were forced to flee their dwelling in the German city of Munich prior to the Second World War.

The complaint states that the museum, which acquired the artwork in the 1950s for $125,000, should have known it was probably stolen property. The family are now seeking the repatriation of the canvas along with financial restitution.

Since the end of the war, this plundered piece has been frequently and covertly traded, purchased and sold in and through New York, alleges the court document.

Forced Emigration

The Sterns departed from the city of Munich to America in the late 1930s with their six children due to the oppressive Nazi regime. However, they were prevented from taking the Van Gogh piece, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Prior to their departure, Nazi authorities designated the artwork as a German cultural asset and forbade the Sterns from taking it abroad. After obtaining permission from a Third Reich agent, a representative designated by the authorities sold the piece on the family's behalf. However, the proceeds from the auction were deposited in a frozen account, which the authorities later confiscated.

Later Transactions

In 1948, or shortly after, the canvas arrived in the United States and was purchased by a prominent figure, a member of the Astor family. Eventually, it was exchanged through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then sold it to prominent shipowner Basil Goulandris and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.

Basil and Elise established the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which operates a museum in Athens, Greece where the painting is currently exhibited.

Court Allegations

The foundation and a family member of the magnate are listed as respondents. The filing alleges that the family and its related entities have hidden and obscured the masterpiece's history and current place from the plaintiffs.

Even now, the Goulandris Defendants continue to hide the circumstances the institution came into ownership of the Painting; the couple's ownership of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the facts that the regime stole the artwork from the Stern family, coerced the Sterns into disposing of it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and seized the money of the deal.

Earlier Lawsuits

The Stern heirs filed a similar complaint in CA in the year 2022, but it was rejected in 2024. An appeal was also rejected in recently.

Museum's Response

The legal action contends that the institution's buying of the artwork was sanctioned by the museum's expert, the Met's authority of European art and a renowned specialist on art theft during the Nazi era. Rousseau and the Met were aware or ought to have been aware that the Painting had almost certainly been looted by Nazis.

The museum issued a statement that it takes seriously its longstanding commitment to handle claims from the Nazi period.

A representative remarked: At no time during the museum's possession of the artwork was there any evidence that it had once belonged to the Stern family – actually, that knowledge did not become known until several decades after the artwork left the Museum's collection.

The institution's deaccessioning of the artwork met the museum's strict criteria for deaccessioning – in particular, it was documented that the artwork was judged to be of lower caliber than other works of the similar kind in the inventory. Although the institution upholds its stance that this artwork entered the holdings and was removed legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the institution is open to and will review any further evidence that comes to light.

BEG's Response

Legal counsel on behalf of the Goulandris Foundation said: The institution is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The attempt to litigate and defame the Foundation and the defendants in the United States upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, multiple times. We are convinced it will be once more.