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The descendants of a Jewish pair have initiated legal proceedings against New York's Metropolitan Museum, asserting that a Van Gogh canvas was looted by Nazi forces.

Origins of the Dispute

According to the lawsuit, the Stern couple bought the piece, titled Gathering Olives, in 1935. The following year, they were forced to flee their residence in Munich, Germany prior to WWII.

The complaint states that the museum, which purchased the artwork in the 1950s for $125,000, ought to have been aware it was likely stolen property. The family are now seeking the return of the artwork along with damages.

Since the end of World War II, this stolen artwork has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, bought and sold in and through the city of New York, states the legal filing.

Forced Emigration

The Stern family departed from their Munich home to America in 1936 with their large family due to the oppressive Nazi regime. However, they were unable to bring the artwork, which was produced by the celebrated artist in 1889.

Before the family's emigration, the Nazi government declared the masterpiece as property of the state and forbade the couple from taking it abroad. After obtaining permission from a regime representative, a agent assigned by the regime auctioned the piece on the family's behalf. Yet, the money from the transaction were held in a blocked account, which the authorities later took.

Post-War History

By 1948, or shortly after, the painting arrived in the United States and was bought by a prominent figure, one of America's wealthiest people. Eventually, it was transferred through a gallery to the museum, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate Basil Goulandris and his spouse, Elise, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise founded the BEG in 1979, which operates a gallery in Athens, Greece where the artwork is currently shown.

Court Allegations

BEG and a family member of Basil Goulandris are identified in the suit. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants and its affiliates have covered up the artwork's provenance and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

Currently, the Goulandris Defendants continue to hide the manner and time the BEG came into ownership of the Painting; the Stern family's ownership of the masterpiece from several years; and the facts that the regime stole the Painting from the family, coerced the couple into parting with it via a regime representative, and seized the funds of the transaction.

Earlier Lawsuits

The Stern heirs initiated a related lawsuit in California in the year 2022, but it was rejected in 2024. An further action was also rejected in recently.

The Met's Position

The lawsuit contends that the museum's acquisition of the piece was approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and a leading authority on art theft during the Nazi era. Rousseau and the Met knew or should have known that the Painting had likely been seized by the regime.

The museum issued a statement that it takes seriously its longstanding commitment to resolve issues related to WWII.

An official stated: Never during the museum's possession of the artwork was there any record that it had earlier been possessed to the family – indeed, that information did not become known until a long time after the painting left the Met's possession.

The institution's deaccessioning of the Van Gogh met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – namely, it was recorded that the piece was deemed to be of lower caliber than additional artworks of the same type in the inventory. While the institution maintains its stance that this artwork entered the collection and was removed legally and well within all standards and procedures, the institution is open to and will review any new information that is discovered.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel on behalf of BEG said: The institution is a esteemed foundation in Athens. The action to take legal action against the institution and the Goulandris family in the America upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, multiple times. We are convinced it will be a third time.