The heirs of a Jewish couple have filed a lawsuit against The Met, alleging that a Van Gogh canvas was looted by Nazi forces.
Case History
As stated in the lawsuit, Hedwig and Frederick Stern purchased the painting, titled Olive Picking, in 1935. A year after, they were compelled to leave their home in Munich, Germany prior to the Second World War.
The suit states that the institution, which acquired the painting in the mid-1950s for $125,000, ought to have been aware it was almost certainly stolen property. The heirs are now seeking the restitution of the artwork along with financial restitution.
Following the war, this plundered piece has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, states the court document.
Forced Emigration
Hedwig and Frederick Stern departed from their Munich home to America in 1936 with their offspring due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Yet, they were prevented from taking the artwork, which was painted by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century.
Before the family's emigration, the Nazi government classified the artwork as property of the state and banned the Sterns from exporting it. Once approved from a Nazi official, a agent appointed by the authorities auctioned the piece on the couple's behalf. But, the funds from the sale were placed in a blocked account, which the Nazis later seized.
Subsequent Ownership
In 1948, or shortly after, the artwork entered New York and was bought by a wealthy American, a member of the Astor family. Later, it was sold through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then passed it on to Greek shipping magnate Goulandris and his wife, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.
Basil and Elise set up the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which operates a gallery in the Greek capital where the masterpiece is currently on display.
Court Allegations
BEG and a surviving nephew of Goulandris are identified in the suit. The legal action claims that the Goulandris family and its affiliates have hidden and obscured the masterpiece's history and current place from the plaintiffs.
To this day, the foundation continue to conceal the manner and time the foundation came into control of the Painting; the Stern family's ownership of the masterpiece from several years; and the reality that the Nazis confiscated the artwork from the Stern family, pressured the couple into parting with it via a regime representative, and seized the money of the deal.
Prior Cases
The Stern heirs initiated a comparable case in California in recently, but it was dismissed in the following years. An legal challenge was also rejected in recently.
The Met's Position
The legal action states that the museum's acquisition of the piece was approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the Met's authority of Old Masters and a renowned specialist on Nazi art looting. The institution and its expert knew or should have known that the Painting had probably been seized by the regime.
The institution issued a statement that it is committed to its longstanding commitment to address issues related to WWII.
A spokesperson remarked: Never during the museum's possession of the artwork was there any record that it had once belonged to the family – indeed, that knowledge did not become available until many years after the masterpiece left the Museum's collection.
The Met's sale of the Van Gogh met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – specifically, it was documented that the piece was judged to be of lesser quality than other works of the similar kind in the inventory. Although The Met maintains its view that this piece entered the inventory and was removed properly and well within all rules and regulations, the institution invites and will examine any additional details that comes to light.
Goulandris Statement
William Charron acting for the foundation stated: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The effort to litigate and defame the Foundation and the Goulandris family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, twice. We are certain it will be a third time.
