🔗 Share this article Metropolitan Museum Confronts Legal Challenge Over Allegedly Nazi-Stolen Van Gogh Masterpiece The heirs of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, asserting that a the Dutch artist oil painting was seized by the Third Reich. Origins of the Dispute According to the legal filing, Hedwig and Frederick Stern bought the piece, titled Olive Picking, in 1935. The following year, they were compelled to leave their home in the German city of Munich prior to the Second World War. The complaint contends that the institution, which obtained the masterpiece in the mid-1950s for $125,000, ought to have been aware it was probably stolen property. The family are now requesting the repatriation of the canvas along with damages. Following WWII, this plundered piece has been frequently and covertly traded, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, claims the lawsuit. Forced Emigration Hedwig and Frederick Stern departed from their Munich home to California in the late 1930s with their large family due to the oppressive Nazi regime. However, they were unable to bring the artwork, which was painted by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century. Prior to their departure, the Nazi government classified the masterpiece as property of the state and prohibited the Sterns from bringing it with them. After obtaining permission from a Third Reich agent, a representative appointed by the regime disposed of the artwork on the couple's behalf. But, the proceeds from the transaction were held in a restricted account, which the Nazis later seized. Subsequent Ownership By 1948, or not long after, the painting entered NYC and was acquired by a wealthy American, a member of the Astor family. Eventually, it was sold through a commercial outlet to the institution, which then sold it to wealthy Greek businessman the magnate and his partner, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s. The Greek couple established the BEG in 1979, which manages a institution in Athens, Greece where the artwork is currently exhibited. Court Allegations BEG and a surviving nephew of Goulandris are identified in the suit. The filing states that the family and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and whereabouts from the heirs. To this day, the defendants continue to conceal the manner and time the institution came into possession of the Painting; the family's possession of the artwork from the mid-1930s; and the reality that the regime confiscated the Painting from the Stern family, forced the family into parting with it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and took the proceeds of the deal. Prior Cases The family filed a comparable case in California in 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An appeal was also dismissed in recently. Museum's Response The complaint states that the institution's buying of the artwork was approved by the museum's expert, the Met's authority of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum must have known that the Painting had almost certainly been stolen by the Nazis. The Met said in a statement that it prioritizes its historical dedication to address issues related to WWII. A representative stated: At no time during the museum's possession of the artwork was there any evidence that it had earlier been possessed to the heirs – actually, that knowledge did not become accessible until a long time after the masterpiece left the Met's possession. The Met's sale of the artwork met the Met's guidelines for deaccessioning – specifically, it was documented that the piece was judged to be of lesser quality than additional artworks of the comparable nature in the holdings. Even though the museum respectfully stands by its stance that this piece entered the collection and was deaccessioned properly and well within all guidelines and policies, the institution welcomes and will consider any new information that comes to light. Foundation's Defense A lawyer representing BEG said: BEG is a renowned institution in the Greek capital. The attempt to take legal action against the Foundation and the Goulandris family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, multiple times. We are certain it will be again.