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The family members of a Jewish pair have filed a lawsuit against The Met, alleging that a the Dutch artist oil painting was seized by Nazi forces.

Case History

Per the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the painting, titled Gathering Olives, in the mid-1930s. A year after, they were forced to flee their residence in Munich on the eve of the Second World War.

The legal action states that the institution, which obtained the masterpiece in the 1950s for a significant sum, ought to have been aware it was almost certainly confiscated property. The descendants are now seeking the repatriation of the artwork along with compensation.

Since the end of World War II, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, acquired and disposed of in and through New York, claims the lawsuit.

Family's Flight

The Stern family escaped from their Munich home to the United States in 1936 with their six children due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Nevertheless, they were barred from transporting the Van Gogh piece, which was produced by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century.

Before the family's emigration, Nazi authorities designated the artwork as property of the state and forbade the Sterns from bringing it with them. Following authorization from a Third Reich agent, a trustee designated by the authorities auctioned the artwork on the couple's behalf. But, the money from the sale were deposited in a restricted account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Later Transactions

By 1948, or not long after, the canvas arrived in New York and was bought by Vincent Astor, one of America's wealthiest people. Eventually, it was sold through a gallery to the museum, which then transferred it to wealthy Greek businessman Goulandris and his wife, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

The Greek couple founded the BEG in the late 1970s, which manages a museum in Athens where the painting is currently on display.

Legal Arguments

BEG and a living relative of Goulandris are named as defendants. The filing alleges that the defendants and its affiliates have hidden and obscured the masterpiece's history and current place from the family.

Even now, the defendants continue to hide how and when the BEG came into control of the Painting; the family's possession of the artwork from the mid-1930s; and the reality that the Nazis looted the canvas from the Stern family, pressured the couple into disposing of it via a regime representative, and seized the funds of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The descendants filed a related lawsuit in the state of California in 2022, but it was rejected in 2024. An appeal was also dismissed in recently.

Museum's Response

The complaint contends that the museum's acquisition of the piece was sanctioned by the museum's expert, the Met's authority of European paintings and a leading authority on Nazi-era looted art. Rousseau and the Met knew or should have known that the artwork had almost certainly been stolen by Nazis.

The museum issued a statement that it is committed to its ongoing pledge to resolve issues related to WWII.

An official stated: Never during the institution's custody of the artwork was there any record that it had previously been owned to the family – in fact, that information did not become available until several decades after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings.

The Met's sale of Olive Picking met the Met's guidelines for deaccessioning – specifically, it was documented that the artwork was judged to be of lesser quality than additional artworks of the similar kind in the holdings. While the institution upholds its view that this artwork entered the collection and was sold legally and well within all standards and procedures, the institution is open to and will review any additional details that is discovered.

Goulandris Statement

Legal counsel acting for BEG commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in the Greek capital. The effort to sue and smear the organization and the Goulandris family in the US upon inaccurate and partial claims was earlier rejected, on two occasions. We are certain it will be once more.