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The descendants of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against New York's Metropolitan Museum, alleging that a the Dutch artist art piece was looted by the Third Reich.

Case History

According to the legal filing, Hedwig and Frederick Stern bought the artwork, titled Olive Picking, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were forced to flee their residence in Munich on the eve of the Second World War.

The suit states that the Met, which obtained the artwork in 1956 for a significant sum, must have realized it was probably stolen property. The family are now seeking the restitution of the artwork along with damages.

In the decades since World War II, this Nazi-looted painting has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, bought and sold in and through NYC, claims the lawsuit.

Forced Emigration

Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped from their Munich home to America in 1936 with their six children due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Yet, they were barred from transporting the Van Gogh piece, which was created by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Prior to their departure, Nazi authorities designated the painting as a German cultural asset and forbade the couple from taking it abroad. Following authorization from a Third Reich agent, a representative designated by the authorities sold the artwork on the couple's behalf. However, the funds from the transaction were placed in a frozen account, which the regime later confiscated.

Subsequent Ownership

By 1948, or soon after, the artwork was brought to NYC and was purchased by Vincent Astor, among the richest individuals in the US. Subsequently, it was sold through a gallery to the museum, which then passed it on to wealthy Greek businessman the magnate and his wife, Elise, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which operates a institution in Athens, Greece where the painting is currently on display.

Court Allegations

The institution and a family member of Goulandris are named as defendants. The filing claims that the defendants and its associated organizations have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and location from the family.

Even now, the foundation continue to hide the manner and time the BEG came into control of the piece; the family's possession of the masterpiece from 1935 to 1938; and the reality that the regime looted the artwork from the Stern family, forced the family into disposing of it via a regime representative, and confiscated the funds of the sale.

Earlier Lawsuits

The family filed a comparable case in the state of California in 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An legal challenge was also dismissed in May 2025.

Institution's Statement

The legal action states that the institution's buying of the piece was authorized by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the museum's curator of European paintings and a leading authority on Nazi art looting. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the Painting had almost certainly been stolen by the regime.

The Met issued a statement that it takes seriously its ongoing pledge to resolve Nazi-era claims.

A spokesperson remarked: Never during the institution's custody of the piece was there any evidence that it had once belonged to the family – indeed, that knowledge did not become accessible until a long time after the painting left the institution's holdings.

The Met's sale of the Van Gogh met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – specifically, it was documented that the piece was considered to be of lesser quality than other works of the comparable nature in the holdings. Even though The Met upholds its position that this work entered the holdings and was removed properly and well within all guidelines and policies, the institution invites and will examine any additional details that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

A lawyer acting for the foundation commented: BEG is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The effort to take legal action against the organization and the Goulandris family in the America upon inaccurate and partial claims was previously dismissed, multiple times. We are confident it will be once more.