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The descendants of a Jewish couple 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

As stated in the legal filing, Frederick and Hedwig Stern bought the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in the year 1935. Just one year later, they were forced to flee their residence in Munich, Germany just before World War II.

The complaint states that the museum, which obtained the painting in the 1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, ought to have been aware it was likely stolen property. The heirs are now demanding the return of the artwork along with financial restitution.

Since the end of World War II, this plundered piece has been frequently and covertly traded, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, alleges the lawsuit.

The Sterns' Escape

The Stern family fled from the city of Munich to California in the late 1930s with their large family due to the oppressive Nazi regime. However, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was painted by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Prior to their departure, the Nazi government classified the masterpiece as German cultural property and prohibited the family from exporting it. After obtaining permission from a Third Reich agent, a agent designated by the regime sold the piece on the Sterns' behalf. However, the proceeds from the sale were held in a blocked account, which the regime later took.

Subsequent Ownership

In 1948, or shortly after, the painting entered the United States and was acquired by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Eventually, it was transferred through a gallery to the museum, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate Basil Goulandris and his wife, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

The Goulandris pair set up the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which operates a institution in Athens, Greece where the painting is currently on display.

Court Allegations

BEG and a living relative of Goulandris are identified in the suit. The filing states that the Goulandris family and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the artwork's provenance and location from the heirs.

Currently, the defendants continue to hide how and when the BEG came into ownership of the artwork; the couple's ownership of the artwork from the mid-1930s; and the facts that the Nazis looted the artwork from the Stern family, forced the Sterns into disposing of it via a regime representative, and took the money of the sale.

Earlier Lawsuits

The family filed a similar complaint in California in the year 2022, but it was rejected in 2024. An appeal was also dismissed in May 2025.

Institution's Statement

The complaint states that the institution's buying of the artwork was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi-era looted art. The institution and its expert must have known that the Painting had almost certainly been seized by the Nazis.

The institution responded that it prioritizes its historical dedication to address Nazi-era claims.

A spokesperson stated: Never during the institution's custody of the artwork was there any documentation that it had earlier been possessed to the heirs – indeed, that data did not become available until a long time after the masterpiece left the Met's possession.

The institution's deaccessioning of the Van Gogh met the Met's guidelines for disposal – in particular, it was recorded that the piece was considered to be of lower caliber than other works of the comparable nature in the inventory. Even though the museum respectfully stands by its position that this artwork entered the inventory and was deaccessioned legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the institution welcomes and will consider any further evidence that emerges.

Goulandris Statement

A lawyer representing BEG commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The effort to take legal action against the Foundation and the family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, twice. We are convinced it will be again.