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The heirs of a Jewish pair have initiated legal proceedings against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh oil painting was looted by the Nazis.

Origins of the Dispute

As stated in the lawsuit, Hedwig and Frederick Stern bought the artwork, titled Olive Picking, in the year 1935. Just one year later, they were forced to flee their dwelling in Munich, Germany on the eve of WWII.

The complaint contends that the Met, which acquired the masterpiece in the mid-1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, ought to have been aware it was probably looted property. The heirs are now demanding the repatriation of the canvas along with compensation.

Following the war, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through the city of New York, states the legal filing.

Forced Emigration

The Sterns escaped from their Munich home to the United States in 1936 with their six children due to the oppressive Nazi regime. However, they were barred from transporting the Van Gogh piece, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Before they left, the Nazi government classified the masterpiece as a German cultural asset and prohibited the couple from taking it abroad. Once approved from a Nazi official, a representative designated by the authorities sold the piece on the family's behalf. But, the proceeds from the auction were held in a restricted account, which the regime later confiscated.

Later Transactions

In 1948, or soon after, the painting entered the United States and was acquired by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Eventually, it was transferred through a art dealer to the Met, which then sold it to wealthy Greek businessman the magnate and his partner, Elise, in the early 1970s.

The Greek couple set up the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a museum in the Greek capital where the painting is currently shown.

Court Allegations

The foundation and a living relative of the magnate are listed as respondents. The lawsuit states that the defendants and its associated organizations have concealed and disguised the painting's ownership and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

Even now, the foundation continue to obscure the manner and time the BEG came into control of the artwork; the family's possession of the masterpiece from several years; and the truth that the Third Reich confiscated the artwork from the heirs, pressured the family into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and seized the funds of the sale.

Earlier Lawsuits

The descendants initiated a related lawsuit in CA in 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An further action was also denied in May 2025.

The Met's Position

The legal action states that the institution's buying of the piece was approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the museum's curator of European art and a leading authority on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum were aware or ought to have been aware that the masterpiece had almost certainly been stolen by the Nazis.

The Met issued a statement that it prioritizes its ongoing pledge to resolve claims from the Nazi period.

A representative commented: Never during the museum's possession of the piece was there any evidence that it had once belonged to the Stern family – actually, that data did not become accessible until several decades after the artwork left the institution's holdings.

The museum's disposal of the artwork met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – in particular, it was recorded that the artwork was deemed to be of lower caliber than other pieces of the same type in the holdings. While The Met upholds its stance that this piece entered the holdings and was sold lawfully and well within all standards and procedures, the museum invites and will examine any new information that comes to light.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel on behalf of the foundation commented: The institution is a esteemed foundation in the Greek capital. The effort to litigate and defame the institution and the Goulandris family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, multiple times. We are convinced it will be a third time.