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The family members of a Jewish couple have brought a case against New York's Metropolitan Museum, asserting that a the Dutch artist art piece was looted by the Nazis.

Case History

According to the legal filing, the Stern couple bought the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in the year 1935. The following year, they were forced to flee their dwelling in Munich, Germany prior to WWII.

The legal action argues that the institution, which acquired the painting in the mid-1950s for a significant sum, must have realized it was likely confiscated property. The descendants are now requesting the repatriation of the painting along with damages.

Since the end of the war, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, purchased and sold in and through the city of New York, claims the lawsuit.

The Sterns' Escape

The Stern family departed from the city of Munich to America in the late 1930s with their offspring due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Nevertheless, they were barred from transporting the artwork, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Before the family's emigration, the regime designated the painting as property of the state and prohibited the Sterns from exporting it. After obtaining permission from a regime representative, a agent assigned by the Nazis auctioned the artwork on the couple's behalf. Yet, the money from the auction were placed in a restricted account, which the authorities later took.

Post-War History

In 1948, or not long after, the artwork was brought to New York and was acquired by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Eventually, it was sold through a art dealer to the institution, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate the magnate and his wife, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise founded the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which operates a gallery in the Greek capital where the painting is currently on display.

Claims and Defenses

The foundation and a surviving nephew of the magnate are identified in the suit. The filing states that the defendants and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the painting's ownership and location from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to hide the manner and time the institution came into ownership of the Painting; the couple's ownership of the masterpiece from several years; and the truth that the regime stole the artwork from the family, pressured the couple into disposing of it via a trustee, and took the proceeds of the sale.

Earlier Lawsuits

The Stern heirs filed a comparable case in California in recently, but it was rejected in the following years. An appeal was also rejected in recently.

Institution's Statement

The complaint states that the Met's purchase of the piece was authorized by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi art looting. Rousseau and the Met knew or should have known that the Painting had probably been stolen by Nazis.

The Met responded that it is committed to its ongoing pledge to handle Nazi-era claims.

A spokesperson remarked: Never during The Met's ownership of the piece was there any evidence that it had once belonged to the Stern family – in fact, that data did not become known until many years after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for disposal – in particular, it was recorded that the piece was considered to be of lesser quality than other pieces of the similar kind in the holdings. While the institution respectfully stands by its stance that this work entered the inventory and was sold properly and well within all rules and regulations, the museum is open to and will review any additional details that emerges.

BEG's Response

Legal counsel representing the Goulandris Foundation commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a renowned institution in the Greek capital. The effort to take legal action against the institution and the Goulandris family in the US upon inaccurate and partial claims was already thrown out, on two occasions. We are convinced it will be again.