New York's Met Museum Confronts Lawsuit Over Supposedly Nazi-Plundered Van Gogh Painting
The heirs of a Jewish pair have brought a case against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, asserting that a Van Gogh art piece was stolen by Nazi forces.
Origins of the Dispute
As stated in the court documents, the Stern couple bought the piece, titled Olive Picking, in the year 1935. The following year, they were forced to flee their dwelling in the German city of Munich prior to the Second World War.
The legal action states that the institution, which purchased the artwork in the 1950s for $125,000, must have realized it was almost certainly looted property. The descendants are now seeking the restitution of the canvas along with financial restitution.
In the decades since the war, this stolen artwork has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, bought and sold in and through NYC, states the lawsuit.
The Sterns' Escape
The Sterns departed from the city of Munich to America in 1936 with their offspring due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Nevertheless, they were barred from transporting the painting, which was painted by the celebrated artist in the late 19th century.
Before the family's emigration, Nazi authorities designated the painting as a German cultural asset and prohibited the Sterns from bringing it with them. Once approved from a Third Reich agent, a representative designated by the Nazis auctioned the painting on the Sterns' behalf. Yet, the money from the auction were deposited in a blocked account, which the authorities later took.
Post-War History
Around 1948, or shortly after, the painting arrived in the United States and was purchased by a wealthy American, a member of the Astor family. Later, it was transferred through a gallery to the Met, which then passed it on to prominent shipowner Basil Goulandris and his partner, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.
The Goulandris pair established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a institution in Athens where the masterpiece is currently exhibited.
Court Allegations
The foundation and a family member of Goulandris are listed as respondents. The filing alleges that the family and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the painting's ownership and whereabouts from the family.
To this day, the foundation continue to conceal the circumstances the institution came into possession of the artwork; the Stern family's ownership of the Painting from several years; and the truth that the Third Reich stole the artwork from the heirs, pressured the Sterns into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and took the proceeds of the deal.
Prior Cases
The family submitted a similar complaint in CA in 2022, but it was thrown out in the following years. An appeal was also dismissed in recently.
Museum's Response
The complaint argues that the institution's buying of the painting was sanctioned by the museum's expert, the institution's specialist of European paintings and a renowned specialist on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum must have known that the masterpiece had probably been seized by the regime.
The institution issued a statement that it takes seriously its longstanding commitment to handle claims from the Nazi period.
An official stated: At no time during the museum's possession of the painting was there any evidence that it had earlier been possessed to the family – indeed, that data did not become accessible until a long time after the masterpiece left the Museum's collection.
The institution's deaccessioning of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for disposal – namely, it was documented that the work was judged to be of inferior standard than other pieces of the comparable nature in the collection. While The Met maintains its position that this artwork entered the collection and was sold properly and well within all rules and regulations, the Met welcomes and will consider any further evidence that comes to light.
BEG's Response
A lawyer acting for the foundation commented: The institution is a renowned institution in Greece. The effort to litigate and defame the institution and the Goulandris family in the America upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, on two occasions. We are certain it will be once more.