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The family members of a Jewish pair have brought a case against New York's Metropolitan Museum, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh canvas was seized by the Third Reich.

Historical Background

Per the lawsuit, the Stern couple acquired the painting, titled Olive Harvest, in the year 1935. A year after, they were compelled to leave their home in Munich, Germany just before WWII.

The suit contends that the museum, which obtained the masterpiece in the 1950s for $125,000, must have realized it was almost certainly stolen property. The family are now requesting the return of the artwork along with compensation.

Following WWII, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through NYC, claims the legal filing.

The Sterns' Escape

The Sterns escaped from Munich to California in the late 1930s with their large family due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Yet, they were prevented from taking the artwork, which was created by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Before the family's emigration, the regime declared the painting as property of the state and prohibited the Sterns from taking it abroad. After obtaining permission from a Nazi official, a representative designated by the Nazis disposed of the painting on the couple's behalf. But, the proceeds from the transaction were held in a blocked account, which the authorities later seized.

Subsequent Ownership

By 1948, or not long after, the artwork entered New York and was purchased by a wealthy American, one of America's wealthiest people. Eventually, it was transferred through a gallery to the museum, which then sold it to prominent shipowner Goulandris and his partner, Mrs. Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise founded the BEG in 1979, which manages a museum in the Greek capital where the artwork is currently on display.

Claims and Defenses

The institution and a living relative of the magnate are listed as respondents. The filing claims that the Goulandris family and its related entities have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and whereabouts from the family.

Currently, the foundation continue to conceal how and when the foundation came into possession of the artwork; the Stern family's ownership of the artwork from several years; and the facts that the Nazis looted the Painting from the heirs, forced the couple into parting with it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the funds of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The descendants filed a related lawsuit in California in 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An legal challenge was also rejected in recently.

Institution's Statement

The lawsuit argues that the institution's buying of the piece was authorized by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the museum's curator of European art and a renowned specialist on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum were aware or ought to have been aware that the artwork had likely been stolen by the Nazis.

The Met said in a statement that it takes seriously its ongoing pledge to resolve claims from the Nazi period.

An official commented: Never during the museum's possession of the painting was there any evidence that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – indeed, that information did not become available until several decades after the painting left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of Olive Picking met the Met's guidelines for disposal – specifically, it was recorded that the artwork was considered to be of lower caliber than other works of the comparable nature in the collection. While the institution respectfully stands by its stance that this artwork entered the holdings and was deaccessioned lawfully and well within all rules and regulations, the institution is open to and will review any further evidence that is discovered.

Goulandris Statement

Legal counsel representing the foundation commented: The institution is a esteemed foundation in Athens. The effort to take legal action against the Foundation and the Goulandris family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was previously dismissed, twice. We are confident it will be again.