🔗 Share this article

The family members of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, alleging that a the Dutch artist art piece was seized by the Nazis.

Historical Background

According to the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern bought the painting, titled Olive Harvest, in the year 1935. A year after, they were forced to flee their home in Munich prior to World War II.

The suit argues that the institution, which obtained the painting in the mid-1950s for $125,000, ought to have been aware it was probably looted property. The family are now seeking the restitution of the painting along with damages.

Following WWII, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through New York, states the legal filing.

The Sterns' Escape

The Sterns departed from their Munich home to California in the late 1930s with their six children due to Nazi persecution. Yet, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was created by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Prior to their departure, Nazi authorities declared the artwork as German cultural property and forbade the couple from exporting it. After obtaining permission from a Nazi official, a trustee appointed by the regime disposed of the piece on the Sterns' behalf. Yet, the proceeds from the sale were held in a blocked account, which the regime later seized.

Later Transactions

By 1948, or soon after, the painting was brought to New York and was acquired by a prominent figure, a member of the Astor family. Eventually, it was sold through a commercial outlet to the institution, which then passed it on to prominent shipowner Goulandris and his spouse, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair founded the BEG in the late 1970s, which operates a institution in Athens, Greece where the artwork is currently exhibited.

Legal Arguments

The institution and a surviving nephew of the magnate are listed as respondents. The lawsuit states that the family and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and location from the heirs.

Even now, the defendants continue to conceal the manner and time the BEG came into control of the artwork; the family's possession of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the facts that the Nazis confiscated the artwork from the Stern family, forced the Sterns into parting with it via a trustee, and took the funds of the transaction.

Prior Cases

The family filed a similar complaint in the state of California in recently, but it was dismissed in 2024. An legal challenge was also rejected in spring 2025.

Institution's Statement

The legal action states that the museum's acquisition of the painting was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of European art and a renowned specialist on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the artwork had almost certainly been looted by the Nazis.

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

An official commented: Never during the institution's custody of the painting was there any record that it had previously been owned to the family – actually, that data did not become accessible until several decades after the artwork left the Museum's collection.

The institution's deaccessioning of the Van Gogh met the institution's rigorous standards for disposal – in particular, it was recorded that the piece was considered to be of inferior standard than additional artworks of the comparable nature in the holdings. Even though The Met respectfully stands by its stance that this piece entered the holdings and was removed lawfully and well within all rules and regulations, the museum is open to and will review any new information that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

William Charron on behalf of BEG stated: The Goulandris Foundation is a renowned institution in Greece. The action to sue and smear the Foundation and the family in the United States upon inaccurate and partial claims was previously dismissed, twice. We are convinced it will be again.