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The descendants of a Jewish couple have brought a case against New York's Metropolitan Museum, alleging that a Van Gogh canvas was stolen by the Third Reich.

Case History

As stated in the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern purchased the painting, titled Olive Harvest, in the year 1935. Just one year later, they were obliged to escape their home in Munich, Germany just before the Second World War.

The complaint states that the Met, which acquired the painting in 1956 for a significant sum, must have realized it was probably stolen property. The family are now seeking the restitution of the painting along with financial restitution.

Since the end of the war, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, purchased and sold in and through the city of New York, alleges the court document.

The Sterns' Escape

Hedwig and Frederick Stern fled from the city of Munich to America in 1936 with their large family due to Nazi persecution. Yet, they were prevented from taking the Van Gogh piece, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Before they left, the Nazi government classified the painting as property of the state and prohibited the couple from taking it abroad. After obtaining permission from a regime representative, a trustee appointed by the Nazis auctioned the artwork on the family's behalf. However, the money from the auction were held in a blocked account, which the authorities later took.

Later Transactions

Around 1948, or soon after, the canvas arrived in New York and was purchased by Vincent Astor, a member of the Astor family. Eventually, it was exchanged through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then passed it on to Greek shipping magnate the magnate and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair set up the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a institution in the Greek capital where the masterpiece is currently on display.

Court Allegations

The institution and a family member of Goulandris are named as defendants. The lawsuit claims that the defendants and its related entities have covered up the masterpiece's history and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

Currently, the defendants continue to conceal how and when the BEG came into possession of the Painting; the couple's ownership of the masterpiece from 1935 to 1938; and the reality that the regime confiscated the Painting from the Stern family, pressured the Sterns into parting with it via a trustee, and took the proceeds of the sale.

Previous Legal Action

The family submitted a comparable case in the state of California in recently, but it was thrown out in the following years. An legal challenge was also dismissed in recently.

Institution's Statement

The complaint argues that the museum's acquisition of the artwork was approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi art looting. Rousseau and the Met knew or should have known that the Painting had almost certainly been seized by the regime.

The institution responded that it prioritizes its historical dedication to handle issues related to WWII.

An official stated: At no time during the institution's custody of the piece was there any documentation that it had previously been owned to the heirs – indeed, that information did not become available until many years after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – in particular, it was documented that the work was considered to be of inferior standard than additional artworks of the similar kind in the inventory. Although The Met maintains its stance that this artwork entered the inventory and was sold properly and well within all guidelines and policies, the institution is open to and will review any further evidence that emerges.

BEG's Response

William Charron acting for BEG stated: The Goulandris Foundation is a renowned institution in Athens. The attempt to take legal action against the organization and the Goulandris family in the United States upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was earlier rejected, multiple times. We are confident it will be a third time.