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The heirs of a Jewish pair have filed a lawsuit against New York's Metropolitan Museum, claiming that a the Dutch artist art piece was looted by the Third Reich.

Origins of the Dispute

According to the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the artwork, titled Olive Picking, in 1935. The following year, they were forced to flee their home in the German city of Munich prior to WWII.

The suit states that the museum, which acquired the masterpiece in 1956 for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, must have realized it was probably stolen property. The family are now requesting the return of the canvas along with financial restitution.

In the decades since World War II, this stolen artwork has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, states the court document.

Family's Flight

The Sterns departed from the city of Munich to California in 1936 with their offspring due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Nevertheless, they were unable to bring the Van Gogh piece, which was produced by the celebrated artist in 1889.

Prior to their departure, the regime declared the artwork as German cultural property and forbade the family from bringing it with them. Following authorization from a regime representative, a trustee appointed by the regime sold the artwork on the family's behalf. Yet, the proceeds from the sale were held in a blocked account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Subsequent Ownership

By 1948, or soon after, the artwork entered New York and was purchased by Vincent Astor, one of America's wealthiest people. Eventually, it was sold through a art dealer to the institution, which then sold it to prominent shipowner the magnate and his spouse, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

Basil and Elise founded the Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which operates a institution in Athens where the masterpiece is currently shown.

Court Allegations

The foundation and a surviving nephew of Goulandris are listed as respondents. The legal action claims that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have concealed and disguised the artwork's provenance and location from the family.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to conceal the manner and time the institution came into ownership of the Painting; the couple's ownership of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the truth that the Nazis confiscated the canvas from the heirs, forced the Sterns into parting with it via a trustee, and took the funds of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The Stern heirs submitted a similar complaint in California in recently, but it was thrown out in 2024. An appeal was also rejected in spring 2025.

Institution's Statement

The lawsuit argues that the museum's acquisition of the painting was approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of European art and a leading authority on Nazi art looting. The institution and its expert were aware or ought to have been aware that the artwork had almost certainly been seized by the regime.

The institution said in a statement that it prioritizes its longstanding commitment to resolve claims from the Nazi period.

A representative commented: Not once during the museum's possession of the artwork was there any record that it had earlier been possessed to the Stern family – indeed, that data did not become known until a long time after the painting left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of Olive Picking met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – in particular, it was noted that the piece was considered to be of inferior standard than other works of the same type in the holdings. While the museum maintains its position that this work entered the collection and was sold lawfully and well within all rules and regulations, the Met invites and will examine any additional details that is discovered.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel acting for BEG said: The institution is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The attempt to litigate and defame the institution and the Goulandris family in the US upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was previously dismissed, on two occasions. We are certain it will be a third time.