The Met Confronts Lawsuit Over Supposedly Nazi-Stolen Van Gogh Masterpiece

The family members of a Jewish pair have filed a lawsuit against New York's Metropolitan Museum, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was seized by Nazi forces.

Case History

As stated in the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern purchased the artwork, titled Olive Picking, in the mid-1930s. Just one year later, they were forced to flee their residence in Munich just before WWII.

The legal action argues that the institution, which acquired the painting in 1956 for $125,000, should have known it was almost certainly confiscated property. The heirs are now seeking the repatriation of the artwork along with damages.

Following World War II, this Nazi-looted painting has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, claims the court document.

Forced Emigration

The Sterns escaped from their Munich home to America in the late 1930s with their large family due to Nazi persecution. Yet, they were unable to bring the painting, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Prior to their departure, Nazi authorities designated the masterpiece as a German cultural asset and forbade the Sterns from exporting it. Following authorization from a Nazi official, a agent appointed by the Nazis auctioned the piece on the Sterns' behalf. Yet, the funds from the sale were placed in a restricted account, which the authorities later took.

Subsequent Ownership

By 1948, or shortly after, the canvas arrived in the United States and was purchased by Vincent Astor, a member of the Astor family. Later, it was transferred through a commercial outlet to the institution, which then passed it on to wealthy Greek businessman Basil Goulandris and his wife, Elise, in 1972.

Basil and Elise established the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a gallery in the Greek capital where the painting is currently exhibited.

Legal Arguments

The foundation and a family member of the magnate are named as defendants. The lawsuit claims that the defendants and its affiliates have hidden and obscured the masterpiece's history and location from the family.

Currently, the foundation continue to hide how and when the BEG came into ownership of the artwork; the couple's ownership of the Painting from several years; and the truth that the Third Reich confiscated the Painting from the heirs, coerced the couple into parting with it via a regime representative, and confiscated the money of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The descendants filed a comparable case in the state of California in the year 2022, but it was thrown out in 2024. An legal challenge was also rejected in recently.

The Met's Position

The complaint argues that the institution's buying of the artwork was approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi art looting. The curator and the museum must have known that the Painting had likely been looted by the regime.

The Met responded that it prioritizes its longstanding commitment to resolve Nazi-era claims.

A representative stated: At no time during The Met's ownership of the artwork was there any record that it had previously been owned to the family – actually, that data did not become available until several decades after the painting left the Met's possession.

The museum's disposal of the artwork met the Met's guidelines for disposal – in particular, it was documented that the artwork was considered to be of lower caliber than other pieces of the similar kind in the holdings. Even though The Met respectfully stands by its view that this piece entered the inventory and was deaccessioned legally and well within all rules and regulations, the museum invites and will examine any new information that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

William Charron acting for BEG stated: The Goulandris Foundation is a renowned institution in Greece. The attempt to take legal action against the Foundation and the family in the United States upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was earlier rejected, on two occasions. We are convinced it will be again.