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The heirs of a Jewish pair have brought a case against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, asserting that a the Dutch artist canvas was looted by the Nazis.

Origins of the Dispute

Per the legal filing, Frederick and Hedwig Stern purchased the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in the mid-1930s. Just one year later, they were compelled to leave their dwelling in Munich, Germany prior to WWII.

The suit contends that the institution, which obtained the artwork in 1956 for $125,000, ought to have been aware it was probably stolen property. The family are now demanding the return of the artwork along with financial restitution.

In the decades since the war, this Nazi-looted painting has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, bought and sold in and through the city of New York, claims the legal filing.

Family's Flight

The Stern family fled from Munich to California in the late 1930s with their six children due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Nevertheless, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was produced by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century.

Before the family's emigration, the Nazi government classified the masterpiece as German cultural property and banned the couple from exporting it. Once approved from a Third Reich agent, a agent appointed by the authorities sold the piece on the couple's behalf. Yet, the money from the auction were deposited in a restricted account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Subsequent Ownership

Around 1948, or shortly after, the painting entered NYC and was bought by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Subsequently, it was transferred through a art dealer to the institution, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate the magnate and his wife, Elise, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair set up the BEG in the late 1970s, which operates a museum in the Greek capital where the painting is currently shown.

Court Allegations

The institution and a surviving nephew of the magnate are identified in the suit. The legal action claims that the family and its related entities have hidden and obscured the painting's ownership and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

Currently, the defendants continue to hide the manner and time the foundation came into control of the Painting; the family's possession of the artwork from several years; and the reality that the regime stole the Painting from the heirs, pressured the Sterns into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the money of the deal.

Prior Cases

The descendants filed a comparable case in CA in 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An appeal was also rejected in recently.

Museum's Response

The complaint states that the museum's acquisition of the painting was authorized by a curator, the museum's curator of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum were aware or ought to have been aware that the masterpiece had likely been stolen by the Nazis.

The institution responded that it takes seriously its longstanding commitment to resolve claims from the Nazi period.

An official remarked: Never during The Met's ownership of the piece was there any record that it had previously been owned to the family – actually, that knowledge did not become accessible until several decades after the painting left the Museum's collection.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for removal from collection – specifically, it was documented that the work was deemed to be of lesser quality than other pieces of the same type in the holdings. While The Met maintains its view that this work entered the holdings and was deaccessioned legally and well within all standards and procedures, the institution welcomes and will consider any further evidence that is discovered.

Foundation's Defense

A lawyer on behalf of the foundation commented: BEG is a renowned institution in Athens. The action to take legal action against the Foundation and the family in the United States upon inaccurate and partial claims was previously dismissed, on two occasions. We are confident it will be a third time.