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The family members of a Jewish pair have filed a lawsuit against The Met, asserting that a the Dutch artist oil painting was stolen by the Nazis.

Historical Background

Per the court documents, Hedwig and Frederick Stern bought the piece, titled Olive Harvest, in the year 1935. A year after, they were compelled to leave their home in Munich, Germany just before WWII.

The complaint contends that the Met, which obtained the masterpiece in the 1950s for $125,000, must have realized it was probably stolen property. The heirs are now seeking the repatriation of the artwork along with damages.

In the decades since WWII, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through NYC, alleges the lawsuit.

Family's Flight

The Sterns departed from their Munich home to the United States in 1936 with their large family due to the oppressive Nazi regime. However, they were unable to bring the painting, which was created by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century.

Before they left, the Nazi government classified the artwork as a German cultural asset and prohibited the couple from exporting it. Once approved from a Nazi official, a trustee designated by the Nazis sold the artwork on the family's behalf. Yet, the funds from the transaction were placed in a blocked account, which the authorities later confiscated.

Post-War History

Around 1948, or soon after, the artwork was brought to the United States and was purchased by a prominent figure, a member of the Astor family. Subsequently, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the institution, which then passed it on to Greek shipping magnate Goulandris and his wife, Elise, in the early 1970s.

The Goulandris pair established the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which operates a institution in the Greek capital where the painting is currently exhibited.

Court Allegations

The institution and a living relative of Basil Goulandris are identified in the suit. The legal action states that the defendants and its related entities have covered up the painting's ownership and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the defendants continue to hide the manner and time the institution came into possession of the piece; the couple's ownership of the Painting from several years; and the reality that the Third Reich confiscated the artwork from the heirs, forced the Sterns into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the funds of the transaction.

Prior Cases

The Stern heirs initiated a comparable case in CA in the year 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An legal challenge was also rejected in recently.

Museum's Response

The legal action contends that the museum's acquisition of the artwork was approved by a curator, the institution's specialist of European paintings and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi-era looted art. Rousseau and the Met were aware or ought to have been aware that the masterpiece had likely been seized by the Nazis.

The museum issued a statement that it takes seriously its ongoing pledge to resolve claims from the Nazi period.

A spokesperson commented: Never during The Met's ownership of the artwork was there any evidence that it had previously been owned to the family – indeed, that data did not become accessible until several decades after the painting left the Museum's collection.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – specifically, it was documented that the piece was judged to be of lower caliber than other pieces of the similar kind in the holdings. Although the museum upholds its position that this work entered the inventory and was sold lawfully and well within all rules and regulations, the museum invites and will examine any additional details that emerges.

Goulandris Statement

Legal counsel representing BEG commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a esteemed foundation in the Greek capital. The attempt to sue and smear the institution and the defendants in the US upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was already thrown out, twice. We are convinced it will be once more.