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The family members of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh canvas was stolen by the Third Reich.

Origins of the Dispute

Per the court documents, the Stern couple purchased the painting, titled Olive Picking, in the year 1935. A year after, they were obliged to escape their home in the German city of Munich just before World War II.

The complaint argues that the institution, which purchased the masterpiece in the mid-1950s for $125,000, must have realized it was probably confiscated property. The family are now requesting the repatriation of the canvas along with compensation.

Since the end of WWII, this Nazi-looted painting has been often and discreetly exchanged, purchased and sold in and through New York, states the lawsuit.

The Sterns' Escape

Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped 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 Van Gogh piece, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Before the family's emigration, the regime declared the painting as property of the state and prohibited the family from taking it abroad. After obtaining permission from a Third Reich agent, a representative assigned by the regime disposed of the painting on the family's behalf. Yet, the funds from the transaction were held in a frozen account, which the regime later seized.

Subsequent Ownership

In 1948, or soon after, the canvas entered the United States and was acquired by a wealthy American, among the richest individuals in the US. Eventually, it was sold through a commercial outlet to the institution, which then passed it on to wealthy Greek businessman Goulandris and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

The Goulandris pair founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a gallery in Athens, Greece where the artwork is currently on display.

Legal Arguments

The foundation and a surviving nephew of Goulandris are listed as respondents. The legal action states that the Goulandris family and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the artwork's provenance and current place from the family.

Even now, the defendants continue to conceal the manner and time the foundation came into ownership of the artwork; the family's possession of the artwork from the mid-1930s; and the truth that the regime confiscated the Painting from the Stern family, pressured the Sterns into selling it via a regime representative, and took the funds of the deal.

Earlier Lawsuits

The Stern heirs filed a related lawsuit in the state of California in the year 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An appeal was also dismissed in spring 2025.

The Met's Position

The complaint contends that the Met's purchase of the painting was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi art looting. Rousseau and the Met were aware or ought to have been aware that the artwork had likely been looted by the Nazis.

The Met responded that it is committed to its historical dedication to address issues related to WWII.

A spokesperson commented: Not once during The Met's ownership of the artwork was there any record that it had earlier been possessed to the Stern family – actually, that information did not become available until many years after the artwork left the Museum's collection.

The museum's disposal of the artwork met the museum's strict criteria for disposal – in particular, it was recorded that the piece was deemed to be of lesser quality than other pieces of the comparable nature in the inventory. Even though the museum upholds its stance that this piece entered the holdings and was deaccessioned properly and well within all standards and procedures, the institution invites and will examine any additional details that comes to light.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel acting for the foundation commented: BEG is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The effort to sue and smear the Foundation and the Goulandris family in the America upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was previously dismissed, on two occasions. We are certain it will be a third time.