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The descendants of a Jewish spouses have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, alleging that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was looted by Nazi forces.

Origins of the Dispute

Per the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern bought the piece, titled Olive Harvest, in the mid-1930s. A year after, they were forced to flee their home in Munich prior to the Second World War.

The complaint contends that the museum, which obtained the artwork in the 1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, must have realized it was likely looted property. The family are now requesting the return of the canvas along with financial restitution.

Since the end of World War II, this plundered piece has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through New York, alleges the legal filing.

Family's Flight

Hedwig and Frederick Stern fled from their Munich home to California in 1936 with their offspring due to persecution by the Nazis. Nevertheless, they were unable to bring the Van Gogh piece, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Prior to their departure, the Nazi government classified the painting as German cultural property and prohibited the family from bringing it with them. Once approved from a Third Reich agent, a trustee designated by the regime sold the piece on the couple's behalf. Yet, the money from the sale were held in a frozen account, which the authorities later confiscated.

Later Transactions

In 1948, or shortly after, the canvas arrived in New York and was purchased by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Later, it was transferred through a commercial outlet to the institution, which then passed it on to Greek shipping magnate Goulandris and his spouse, Mrs. Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise established the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a museum in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently shown.

Court Allegations

The foundation and a living relative of the magnate are named as defendants. The lawsuit claims that the family and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the painting's ownership and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to conceal the circumstances the institution came into ownership of the artwork; the family's possession of the Painting from 1935 to 1938; and the reality that the Third Reich stole the artwork from the heirs, coerced the couple into selling it via a trustee, and confiscated the proceeds of the transaction.

Prior Cases

The descendants initiated a similar complaint in CA in 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An further action was also rejected in spring 2025.

Museum's Response

The lawsuit contends that the institution's buying of the artwork was sanctioned by the museum's expert, the institution's specialist of European paintings and one of the world's foremost experts on art theft during the Nazi era. The curator and the museum were aware or ought to have been aware that the Painting had probably been looted by the regime.

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

A spokesperson stated: At no time during the museum's possession of the artwork was there any evidence that it had once belonged to the heirs – indeed, that data did not become known until many years after the painting left the Met's possession.

The museum's disposal of Olive Picking met the institution's rigorous standards for disposal – specifically, it was noted that the piece was considered to be of lesser quality than other pieces of the comparable nature in the inventory. Even though The Met respectfully stands by its position that this artwork entered the inventory and was removed properly and well within all standards and procedures, the Met invites and will examine any further evidence that is discovered.

BEG's Response

A lawyer on behalf of the foundation said: The institution is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The effort to take legal action against the organization and the Goulandris family in the United States upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was previously dismissed, multiple times. We are certain it will be once more.