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The heirs of a Jewish pair have filed a lawsuit against The Met, asserting that a the Dutch artist art piece was stolen by Nazi forces.

Case History

As stated in the legal filing, Frederick and Hedwig Stern purchased the piece, titled Olive Picking, in the mid-1930s. A year after, they were obliged to escape their residence in Munich prior to the Second World War.

The legal action states that the museum, which obtained the masterpiece in 1956 for a significant sum, must have realized it was likely stolen property. The descendants are now seeking the restitution of the painting along with compensation.

Following World War II, this stolen artwork has been often and discreetly exchanged, purchased and sold in and through NYC, alleges the court document.

Family's Flight

Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped from their Munich home to America in 1936 with their six children due to Nazi persecution. Nevertheless, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was created by the celebrated artist in the late 19th century.

Before they left, Nazi authorities designated the painting as property of the state and forbade the Sterns from taking it abroad. Following authorization from a Nazi official, a trustee designated by the Nazis auctioned the artwork on the couple's behalf. However, the funds from the transaction were held in a blocked account, which the regime later confiscated.

Subsequent Ownership

In 1948, or not long after, the painting was brought to New York and was acquired by a prominent figure, one of America's wealthiest people. Subsequently, it was exchanged through a gallery to the museum, which then transferred it to wealthy Greek businessman Basil Goulandris and his wife, Mrs. Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise established the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which operates a museum in Athens where the artwork is currently shown.

Legal Arguments

The institution and a living relative of Basil Goulandris are identified in the suit. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants and its related entities have hidden and obscured the masterpiece's history and location from the heirs.

Currently, the defendants continue to conceal the circumstances the institution came into possession of the piece; the Stern family's ownership of the masterpiece from 1935 to 1938; and the truth that the Third Reich confiscated the canvas from the heirs, coerced the Sterns into selling it via a regime representative, and took the money of the deal.

Previous Legal Action

The Stern heirs submitted a related lawsuit in the state of California in 2022, but it was thrown out in 2024. An appeal was also rejected in recently.

Institution's Statement

The legal action states that the Met's purchase of the painting was sanctioned by a curator, the institution's specialist of Old Masters 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 artwork had likely been seized by the regime.

The institution responded that it is committed to its historical dedication to resolve claims from the Nazi period.

An official commented: Not once during the museum's possession of the painting was there any documentation that it had once belonged to the heirs – in fact, that information did not become available until several decades after the masterpiece left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for removal from collection – specifically, it was documented that the artwork was considered to be of lesser quality than additional artworks of the similar kind in the inventory. While the museum upholds its view that this work entered the collection and was removed legally and well within all rules and regulations, the Met welcomes and will consider any new information that emerges.

Foundation's Defense

William Charron acting for BEG commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in Athens. The effort to take legal action against the institution and the defendants in the America upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was previously dismissed, twice. We are confident it will be once more.