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The family members of a Jewish pair have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was stolen by the Third Reich.

Origins of the Dispute

According to the lawsuit, Hedwig and Frederick Stern purchased the painting, titled Olive Harvest, in 1935. Just one year later, they were obliged to escape their residence in Munich, Germany on the eve of WWII.

The suit argues that the Met, which acquired the artwork in the mid-1950s for $125,000, must have realized it was probably looted property. The family are now seeking the repatriation of the canvas along with financial restitution.

Following the war, this plundered piece has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, bought and sold in and through the city of New York, alleges the lawsuit.

Forced Emigration

Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped from their Munich home to the United States in 1936 with their offspring due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were unable to bring the painting, which was produced by the celebrated artist in 1889.

Prior to their departure, the regime designated the artwork as a German cultural asset and prohibited the family from exporting it. After obtaining permission from a Nazi official, a agent appointed by the Nazis disposed of the painting on the couple's behalf. However, the proceeds from the sale were held in a frozen account, which the authorities later seized.

Later Transactions

In 1948, or shortly after, the canvas entered NYC and was bought by a wealthy American, a member of the Astor family. Later, it was sold through a gallery to the institution, which then passed it on to prominent shipowner the magnate and his wife, Mrs. Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

The Greek couple established the BEG in 1979, which operates a gallery in Athens where the painting is currently on display.

Court Allegations

The foundation and a surviving nephew of the magnate are named as defendants. The lawsuit claims that the family and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the artwork's provenance and current place from the family.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to hide how and when the foundation came into possession of the Painting; the couple's ownership of the masterpiece from the mid-1930s; and the facts that the regime looted the Painting from the Stern family, forced the family into disposing of it via a trustee, and seized the proceeds of the transaction.

Prior Cases

The family submitted a related lawsuit in the state of California in recently, but it was thrown out in the following years. An further action was also denied in recently.

Museum's Response

The legal action states that the Met's purchase of the piece was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the museum's curator of European art and a renowned specialist on Nazi art looting. Rousseau and the Met knew or should have known that the artwork had likely been stolen by the regime.

The institution said in a statement that it is committed to its historical dedication to address claims from the Nazi period.

A spokesperson commented: At no time during the museum's possession of the artwork was there any documentation that it had once belonged to the family – actually, that knowledge did not become accessible until a long time after the painting left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of Olive Picking met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – in particular, it was recorded that the artwork was judged to be of lesser quality than other works of the similar kind in the holdings. Even though the museum maintains its stance that this artwork entered the collection and was deaccessioned legally and well within all standards and procedures, the Met invites and will examine any additional details that emerges.

Goulandris Statement

Legal counsel representing BEG commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a esteemed foundation in Athens. The action to sue and smear the institution and the family in the America upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was previously dismissed, twice. We are confident it will be a third time.