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The family members of a Jewish spouses have initiated legal proceedings against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, claiming that a Van Gogh oil painting was seized by the Third Reich.

Origins of the Dispute

According to the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern purchased the painting, titled Olive Picking, in the year 1935. Just one year later, they were forced to flee their home in Munich prior to World War II.

The legal action states that the Met, which purchased the masterpiece in the 1950s for $125,000, must have realized it was probably looted property. The heirs are now demanding the repatriation of the painting along with damages.

Following the war, this stolen artwork has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, purchased and sold in and through New York, states the legal filing.

Family's Flight

The Sterns fled from Munich to America in 1936 with their large family due to persecution by the Nazis. Yet, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was produced by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Before they left, the regime classified the artwork as property of the state and banned the family from bringing it with them. After obtaining permission from a Third Reich agent, a trustee designated by the authorities sold the artwork on the family's behalf. Yet, the proceeds from the auction were held in a blocked account, which the Nazis later seized.

Later Transactions

In 1948, or soon after, the painting arrived in the United States and was bought by Vincent Astor, a member of the Astor family. Eventually, it was exchanged through a gallery to the institution, which then transferred it to wealthy Greek businessman Goulandris and his spouse, Elise, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a gallery in the Greek capital where the masterpiece is currently on display.

Claims and Defenses

The foundation and a living relative of Goulandris are identified in the suit. The filing alleges that the Goulandris family and its related entities have covered up the painting's ownership and whereabouts from the family.

Even now, the foundation continue to obscure the manner and time the foundation came into possession of the Painting; the Stern family's ownership of the masterpiece from several years; and the truth that the regime confiscated the Painting from the heirs, pressured the Sterns into selling it via a trustee, and confiscated the money of the sale.

Previous Legal Action

The descendants initiated a comparable case in CA in recently, but it was rejected in the following years. An appeal was also dismissed in spring 2025.

The Met's Position

The complaint argues that the museum's acquisition of the artwork was authorized by the museum's expert, the Met's authority of European paintings and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi art looting. The curator and the museum were aware or ought to have been aware that the artwork had almost certainly been looted by the Nazis.

The museum responded that it is committed to its ongoing pledge to handle Nazi-era claims.

An official remarked: Never during the institution's custody of the artwork was there any evidence that it had previously been owned to the family – indeed, that information did not become accessible until several decades after the painting left the institution's holdings.

The Met's sale of Olive Picking met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – specifically, it was noted that the piece was considered to be of inferior standard than other pieces of the same type in the holdings. Although the museum upholds its position that this artwork entered the holdings and was sold properly and well within all standards and procedures, the institution is open to and will review any further evidence that comes to light.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel acting for BEG stated: The Goulandris Foundation is a esteemed foundation in Athens. The attempt to take legal action against the institution and the family in the United States upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was already thrown out, twice. We are certain it will be once more.