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The family members of a Jewish spouses have filed a lawsuit against New York's Metropolitan Museum, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh oil painting was seized by Nazi forces.

Historical Background

As stated in the court documents, the Stern couple purchased the painting, titled Gathering Olives, in 1935. Just one year later, they were obliged to escape their residence in the German city of Munich prior to World War II.

The legal action contends that the museum, which acquired the painting in the mid-1950s for a significant sum, must have realized it was probably looted property. The family are now requesting the repatriation of the canvas along with damages.

Following the war, this plundered piece has been frequently and covertly traded, acquired and disposed of in and through New York, claims the lawsuit.

The Sterns' Escape

Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped from the city of Munich to America in 1936 with their offspring due to persecution by the Nazis. Yet, they were unable to bring the artwork, which was painted by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Before the family's emigration, the Nazi government designated the artwork as a German cultural asset and banned the couple from exporting it. Once approved from a Third Reich agent, a trustee appointed by the authorities auctioned the piece on the Sterns' behalf. However, the money from the auction were deposited in a restricted account, which the authorities later confiscated.

Later Transactions

By 1948, or soon after, the artwork arrived in the United States and was acquired by Vincent Astor, a member of the Astor family. Later, it was exchanged through a gallery to the institution, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate Goulandris and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.

Basil and Elise founded the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a gallery in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently on display.

Legal Arguments

The institution and a family member of the magnate are listed as respondents. The legal action states that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have covered up the masterpiece's history and current place from the family.

To this day, the defendants continue to conceal the manner and time the BEG came into possession of the artwork; the Stern family's ownership of the Painting from 1935 to 1938; and the facts that the regime stole the Painting from the heirs, coerced the Sterns into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and took the funds of the transaction.

Prior Cases

The Stern heirs submitted a comparable case in California in recently, but it was thrown out in 2024. An appeal was also dismissed in spring 2025.

Institution's Statement

The complaint contends that the institution's buying of the artwork was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and a leading authority on Nazi art looting. The institution and its expert were aware or ought to have been aware that the masterpiece had likely been seized by the regime.

The institution issued a statement that it takes seriously its historical dedication to address Nazi-era claims.

A representative stated: Never during the museum's possession of the piece was there any record that it had once belonged to the family – indeed, that data did not become available until many years after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings.

The museum's disposal of Olive Picking met the institution's rigorous standards for disposal – in particular, it was documented that the work was judged to be of lower caliber than additional artworks of the comparable nature in the holdings. Even though the institution respectfully stands by its stance that this piece entered the inventory and was removed lawfully and well within all standards and procedures, the museum welcomes and will consider any additional details that emerges.

Goulandris Statement

A lawyer acting for the foundation said: The institution is a highly prestigious organization in the Greek capital. The action to litigate and defame the organization and the defendants in the United States upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was already thrown out, multiple times. We are confident it will be once more.