🔗 Share this article Metropolitan Museum Faces Lawsuit Over Supposedly Nazi-Plundered Van Gogh Masterpiece The family members of a Jewish spouses have brought a case against New York's Metropolitan Museum, alleging that a Vincent van Gogh canvas was seized by the Third Reich. Historical Background Per the lawsuit, the Stern couple bought the piece, titled Olive Harvest, in 1935. The following year, they were obliged to escape their residence in Munich on the eve of World War II. The complaint contends that the museum, which purchased the painting in the mid-1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, must have realized it was probably confiscated property. The heirs are now requesting the return of the canvas along with damages. Following the war, this Nazi-looted painting has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, bought and sold in and through New York, states the legal filing. Forced Emigration Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped from their Munich home to America in the late 1930s with their large family due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were prevented from taking the Van Gogh piece, which was painted by the renowned Dutch in 1889. Before they left, the regime declared the painting as German cultural property and banned the Sterns from bringing it with them. Following authorization from a Nazi official, a trustee assigned by the Nazis disposed of the artwork on the couple's behalf. But, the proceeds from the auction were held in a frozen account, which the Nazis later took. Later Transactions Around 1948, or shortly after, the canvas arrived in NYC and was acquired by Vincent Astor, among the richest individuals in the US. Later, it was exchanged through a commercial outlet to the institution, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate the magnate and his spouse, Elise, in 1972. The Greek couple set up the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a gallery in the Greek capital where the masterpiece is currently on display. Court Allegations The institution and a family member of Goulandris are listed as respondents. The lawsuit states that the defendants and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the painting's ownership and current place from the family. To this day, the foundation continue to hide the circumstances the foundation came into possession of the piece; the Stern family's ownership of the Painting from 1935 to 1938; and the reality that the Nazis confiscated the canvas from the heirs, forced the Sterns into parting with it via a regime representative, and took the proceeds of the sale. Earlier Lawsuits The family initiated a related lawsuit in California in recently, but it was thrown out in the following years. An further action was also dismissed in recently. The Met's Position The legal action argues that the institution's buying of the piece was sanctioned by a curator, the institution's specialist of European art and a renowned specialist on art theft during the Nazi era. Rousseau and the Met knew or should have known that the artwork had likely been looted by the regime. The institution responded that it prioritizes its longstanding commitment to handle Nazi-era claims. An official stated: Never during the museum's possession of the artwork was there any documentation that it had previously been owned to the heirs – actually, that data did not become available until a long time after the painting left the institution's holdings. The Met's sale of Olive Picking met the museum's strict criteria for disposal – specifically, it was documented that the piece was deemed to be of lower caliber than other works of the comparable nature in the holdings. Even though the museum upholds its stance that this artwork entered the holdings and was sold lawfully and well within all standards and procedures, the museum welcomes and will consider any additional details that comes to light. Foundation's Defense Legal counsel acting for the foundation stated: The institution is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The effort to sue and smear the Foundation and the Goulandris family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was previously dismissed, twice. We are confident it will be once more.