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The descendants of a Jewish pair have brought a case against The Met, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh canvas was stolen by the Third Reich.

Case History

According to the legal filing, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the artwork, titled Olive Picking, in the year 1935. Just one year later, they were compelled to leave their home in the German city of Munich just before World War II.

The complaint contends that the museum, which acquired the painting in 1956 for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, should have known it was likely confiscated property. The descendants are now requesting the restitution of the painting along with financial restitution.

In the decades since World War II, this stolen artwork has been often and discreetly exchanged, bought and sold in and through New York, alleges the legal filing.

Forced Emigration

The Stern family departed from their Munich home to California in 1936 with their large family due to persecution by the Nazis. Yet, they were unable to bring the Van Gogh piece, which was painted by the celebrated artist in the late 19th century.

Prior to their departure, the regime classified the artwork as a German cultural asset and forbade the family from exporting it. After obtaining permission from a Third Reich agent, a representative designated by the authorities auctioned the painting on the Sterns' behalf. Yet, the funds from the sale were deposited in a frozen account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Post-War History

By 1948, or shortly after, the canvas entered the United States and was bought by a prominent figure, one of America's wealthiest people. Later, it was transferred through a gallery to the institution, which then passed it on to Greek shipping magnate the magnate and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

The Goulandris pair set up the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which operates a museum in Athens where the artwork is currently on display.

Legal Arguments

The institution and a living relative of Goulandris are listed as respondents. The lawsuit claims that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the painting's ownership and current place from the heirs.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to conceal the circumstances the BEG came into control of the piece; the couple's ownership of the masterpiece from the mid-1930s; and the reality that the Nazis stole the artwork from the heirs, pressured the couple into parting with it via a trustee, and seized the funds of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The Stern heirs filed a related lawsuit in CA in recently, but it was rejected in 2024. An further action was also rejected in May 2025.

The Met's Position

The complaint argues that the institution's buying of the piece was authorized by a curator, the museum's curator of European art and a leading authority on Nazi-era looted art. The institution and its expert were aware or ought to have been aware that the Painting had almost certainly been looted by the Nazis.

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

An official remarked: Never during the institution's custody of the piece was there any evidence that it had earlier been possessed to the family – actually, that knowledge did not become accessible until a long time after the painting left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of the Van Gogh met the museum's strict criteria for disposal – in particular, it was documented that the work was judged to be of lesser quality than additional artworks of the comparable nature in the holdings. Although The Met respectfully stands by its stance that this piece entered the collection and was sold properly and well within all standards and procedures, the museum invites and will examine any further evidence that comes to light.

Foundation's Defense

A lawyer acting for the Goulandris Foundation said: The Goulandris Foundation is a renowned institution in Athens. The action to litigate and defame the Foundation and the family in the United States upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was previously dismissed, on two occasions. We are confident it will be a third time.