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The heirs of a Jewish couple have filed a lawsuit against New York's Metropolitan Museum, alleging that a Vincent van Gogh oil painting was seized by the Third Reich.

Case History

Per the lawsuit, Hedwig and Frederick Stern purchased the painting, titled Gathering Olives, in the year 1935. The following year, they were obliged to escape their residence in Munich prior to the Second World War.

The complaint argues that the museum, which obtained the artwork in 1956 for $125,000, should have known it was probably stolen property. The family are now demanding the return of the artwork along with financial restitution.

Following World War II, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through NYC, states the legal filing.

The Sterns' Escape

The Stern family departed from the city of Munich to America in 1936 with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. Nevertheless, they were barred from transporting the artwork, which was created by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Prior to their departure, Nazi authorities designated the painting as a German cultural asset and forbade the couple from exporting it. After obtaining permission from a regime representative, a trustee assigned by the Nazis sold the painting on the couple's behalf. Yet, the money from the sale were deposited in a restricted account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Later Transactions

In 1948, or not long after, the painting arrived in the United States and was bought by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Eventually, it was sold through a gallery to the Met, which then transferred it to prominent shipowner Goulandris and his wife, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

The Greek couple established the BEG in 1979, which operates a museum in the Greek capital where the masterpiece is currently shown.

Court Allegations

BEG and a living relative of Basil Goulandris are identified in the suit. The filing alleges that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the painting's ownership and current place from the heirs.

Currently, the Goulandris Defendants continue to obscure the manner and time the institution came into ownership of the Painting; the Stern family's ownership of the Painting from the mid-1930s; and the truth that the Nazis confiscated the artwork from the heirs, forced the Sterns into disposing of it via a trustee, and took the funds of the sale.

Previous Legal Action

The Stern heirs initiated a related lawsuit in California in recently, but it was thrown out in the following years. An legal challenge was also dismissed in spring 2025.

The Met's Position

The lawsuit contends that the museum's acquisition of the piece was approved by a curator, the Met's authority of European art and a leading authority on Nazi art looting. Rousseau and the Met must have known that the Painting had likely been seized by the regime.

The institution issued a statement that it takes seriously its ongoing pledge to address claims from the Nazi period.

A representative commented: Never during the museum's possession of the piece was there any evidence that it had previously been owned to the heirs – indeed, that data did not become available until several decades after the painting left the Museum's collection.

The institution's deaccessioning of Olive Picking met the Met's guidelines for disposal – specifically, it was noted that the artwork was deemed to be of lower caliber than additional artworks of the comparable nature in the collection. Even though the museum respectfully stands by its position that this artwork entered the inventory and was removed legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the Met is open to and will review any further evidence that is discovered.

Foundation's Defense

A lawyer representing the Goulandris Foundation said: BEG is a esteemed foundation in the Greek capital. The action to litigate and defame the institution and the family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was previously dismissed, twice. We are certain it will be once more.