🔗 Share this article

The heirs of a Jewish spouses have initiated legal proceedings against New York's Metropolitan Museum, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was stolen by the Third Reich.

Case History

Per the legal filing, Frederick and Hedwig Stern purchased the artwork, titled Gathering Olives, in 1935. A year after, they were compelled to leave their home in Munich, Germany just before the Second World War.

The suit states that the Met, which obtained the painting in 1956 for $125,000, ought to have been aware it was probably stolen property. The family are now demanding the restitution of the artwork along with compensation.

In the decades since World War II, this plundered piece has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, acquired and disposed of in and through NYC, alleges the legal filing.

The Sterns' Escape

The Sterns departed from their Munich home to America in 1936 with their six children due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were barred from transporting the Van Gogh piece, which was produced by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Prior to their departure, the regime declared the painting as a German cultural asset and banned the Sterns from taking it abroad. After obtaining permission from a Nazi official, a agent designated by the regime sold the painting on the family's behalf. However, the money from the transaction were held in a restricted account, which the regime later confiscated.

Post-War History

By 1948, or not long after, the artwork was brought to the United States and was acquired by a prominent figure, one of America's wealthiest people. Later, it was transferred through a gallery to the museum, which then sold it to wealthy Greek businessman Goulandris and his partner, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a museum in Athens where the painting is currently on display.

Legal Arguments

The institution and a family member of Basil Goulandris are listed as respondents. The lawsuit states that the family and its affiliates have covered up the masterpiece's history and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the defendants continue to obscure the circumstances the foundation came into control of the Painting; the Stern family's ownership of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the facts that the Nazis stole the artwork from the heirs, pressured the Sterns into parting with it via a regime representative, and seized the proceeds of the deal.

Earlier Lawsuits

The Stern heirs filed a comparable case in California in 2022, but it was rejected in 2024. An further action was also denied in recently.

Museum's Response

The lawsuit states that the Met's purchase of the piece was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi art looting. The institution and its expert knew or should have known that the Painting had almost certainly been seized by the Nazis.

The Met issued a statement that it prioritizes its ongoing pledge to handle Nazi-era claims.

A spokesperson stated: Never during the institution's custody of the artwork was there any record that it had once belonged to the heirs – in fact, that information did not become accessible until a long time after the artwork left the institution's holdings.

The museum's disposal of the Van Gogh met the Met's guidelines for disposal – in particular, it was documented that the piece was deemed to be of lower caliber than other pieces of the similar kind in the inventory. Although The Met maintains its stance that this work entered the collection and was removed properly and well within all guidelines and policies, the institution is open to and will review any further evidence that emerges.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel acting for the Goulandris Foundation stated: The Goulandris Foundation is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The action to litigate and defame the Foundation and the family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was previously dismissed, multiple times. We are convinced it will be again.