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The descendants of a Jewish pair have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, claiming that a Van Gogh oil painting was seized by Nazi forces.

Case History

As stated in the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the piece, titled Olive Picking, in the mid-1930s. A year after, they were obliged to escape their dwelling in Munich, Germany prior to WWII.

The suit states that the Met, which obtained the painting in the mid-1950s for $125,000, must have realized it was almost certainly looted property. The descendants are now demanding the restitution of the painting along with financial restitution.

In the decades since World War II, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, acquired and disposed of in and through NYC, states the lawsuit.

The Sterns' Escape

The Sterns departed from the city of Munich to America in 1936 with their offspring due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Nevertheless, they were barred from transporting the Van Gogh piece, which was painted by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Before they left, Nazi authorities designated the painting as property of the state and banned the family from bringing it with them. Once approved from a Nazi official, a representative designated by the Nazis disposed of the painting on the couple's behalf. But, the funds from the transaction were held in a restricted account, which the Nazis later took.

Subsequent Ownership

In 1948, or soon after, the canvas entered NYC and was bought by a wealthy American, among the richest individuals in the US. Subsequently, it was transferred through a art dealer to the museum, which then transferred it to wealthy Greek businessman the magnate and his partner, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

Basil and Elise founded the BEG in 1979, which manages a institution in the Greek capital where the masterpiece is currently on display.

Legal Arguments

The foundation and a family member of the magnate are identified in the suit. The filing alleges that the Goulandris family and its affiliates have hidden and obscured the masterpiece's history and current place from the family.

To this day, the defendants continue to conceal the manner and time the BEG came into control of the artwork; the Stern family's ownership of the Painting from 1935 to 1938; and the reality that the Nazis confiscated the canvas from the heirs, coerced the family into disposing of it via a trustee, and took the proceeds of the transaction.

Prior Cases

The descendants initiated a comparable case in the state of California in recently, but it was dismissed in 2024. An appeal was also dismissed in May 2025.

Institution's Statement

The complaint contends that the museum's acquisition of the piece was approved by a curator, 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 were aware or ought to have been aware that the masterpiece had likely been looted by the regime.

The museum issued a statement that it takes seriously its longstanding commitment to address issues related to WWII.

A representative remarked: At no time during The Met's ownership of the painting was there any evidence that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – actually, that information did not become known until several decades after the painting left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of Olive Picking met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – in particular, it was recorded that the piece was judged to be of lesser quality than other works of the similar kind in the collection. While The Met respectfully stands by its stance that this artwork entered the holdings and was removed lawfully and well within all standards and procedures, the museum welcomes and will consider any additional details that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

Legal counsel on behalf of the Goulandris Foundation commented: BEG is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The effort to sue and smear the organization and the defendants in the US upon inaccurate and partial claims was earlier rejected, multiple times. We are convinced it will be once more.