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The descendants of a Jewish spouses have brought a case against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, claiming that a Van Gogh canvas was seized by the Nazis.

Origins of the Dispute

Per the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern bought the artwork, titled Olive Picking, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were compelled to leave their home in Munich just before the Second World War.

The legal action argues that the institution, which obtained the masterpiece in 1956 for $125,000, must have realized it was almost certainly looted property. The heirs are now seeking the restitution of the canvas along with damages.

Following World War II, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through NYC, alleges the court document.

Forced Emigration

The Stern family departed from their Munich home to America in 1936 with their six children due to persecution by the Nazis. Yet, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was produced by the celebrated artist in 1889.

Prior to their departure, the regime declared the painting as property of the state and banned the Sterns from bringing it with them. After obtaining permission from a regime representative, a agent appointed by the regime disposed of the piece on the Sterns' behalf. Yet, the proceeds from the auction were deposited in a frozen account, which the Nazis later seized.

Subsequent Ownership

In 1948, or soon after, the painting was brought to NYC and was bought by Vincent Astor, one of America's wealthiest people. Eventually, it was sold through a art dealer to the museum, which then passed it on to wealthy Greek businessman the magnate and his partner, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

The Greek couple founded the Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which runs a museum in Athens where the artwork is currently on display.

Court Allegations

BEG and a living relative of Goulandris are named as defendants. The filing claims that the Goulandris family and its affiliates have covered up the artwork's provenance and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the foundation continue to hide the manner and time the BEG came into control of the Painting; the family's possession of the masterpiece from several years; and the truth that the Third Reich looted the Painting from the family, forced the Sterns into parting with it via a trustee, and seized the proceeds of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The descendants initiated a similar complaint in CA in the year 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An further action was also dismissed in May 2025.

The Met's Position

The complaint contends that the Met's purchase of the artwork was authorized by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the museum's curator of European paintings and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi art looting. The institution and its expert knew or should have known that the Painting had probably been stolen by the regime.

The Met said in a statement that it prioritizes its ongoing pledge to resolve claims from the Nazi period.

An official remarked: Never during the museum's possession of the artwork was there any record that it had once belonged to the heirs – actually, that knowledge did not become known until many years after the artwork left the Met's possession.

The museum's disposal of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for disposal – in particular, it was noted that the artwork was considered to be of lower caliber than additional artworks of the comparable nature in the inventory. Although the institution maintains its view that this piece entered the holdings and was removed lawfully and well within all rules and regulations, the Met welcomes and will consider any new information that emerges.

BEG's Response

Legal counsel representing the foundation stated: The institution is a renowned institution in Greece. The action to take legal action against the Foundation and the family in the US upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was already thrown out, twice. We are convinced it will be a third time.