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The descendants of a Jewish spouses have filed a lawsuit against The Met, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was seized by Nazi forces.

Historical Background

As stated in the court documents, Hedwig and Frederick Stern acquired the painting, titled Olive Harvest, in the mid-1930s. Just one year later, they were forced to flee their residence in Munich prior to the Second World War.

The suit contends that the museum, which acquired the painting in 1956 for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, should have known it was almost certainly stolen property. The descendants are now seeking the restitution of the painting along with compensation.

Since the end of World War II, this Nazi-looted painting has been often and discreetly exchanged, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, alleges the lawsuit.

The Sterns' Escape

The Stern family departed from Munich to California in the late 1930s with their six children due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were barred from transporting the Van Gogh piece, which was produced by the celebrated artist in 1889.

Before they left, Nazi authorities classified the artwork as a German cultural asset and banned the Sterns from taking it abroad. Once approved from a Nazi official, a trustee appointed by the Nazis auctioned the artwork on the Sterns' behalf. Yet, the funds from the transaction were placed in a restricted account, which the Nazis later took.

Post-War History

In 1948, or not long after, the canvas arrived in NYC and was purchased by a wealthy American, among the richest individuals in the US. Later, it was transferred through a art dealer to the Met, which then passed it on to Greek shipping magnate Basil Goulandris and his wife, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.

Basil and Elise established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which operates a institution in Athens, Greece where the painting is currently on display.

Claims and Defenses

The foundation and a living relative of Basil Goulandris are named as defendants. The legal action claims that the family and its related entities have covered up the painting's ownership and location from the heirs.

Currently, the foundation continue to obscure how and when the foundation came into possession of the piece; the family's possession of the masterpiece from several years; and the facts that the Nazis looted the canvas from the heirs, forced the Sterns into selling it via a regime representative, and confiscated the proceeds of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The family submitted a comparable case in the state of California in 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An legal challenge was also denied in May 2025.

Museum's Response

The complaint states that the museum's acquisition of the painting was approved by the museum's expert, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on art theft during the Nazi era. The institution and its expert were aware or ought to have been aware that the masterpiece had almost certainly been stolen by the regime.

The museum issued a statement that it takes seriously its historical dedication to address issues related to WWII.

A spokesperson commented: Not once during the institution's custody of the artwork was there any record that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – actually, that data did not become accessible until many years after the artwork left the institution's holdings.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the Met's guidelines for disposal – specifically, it was documented that the artwork was considered to be of lower caliber than additional artworks of the comparable nature in the collection. While the museum upholds its view that this piece entered the holdings and was sold legally and well within all standards and procedures, the Met invites and will examine any new information that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

A lawyer representing the Goulandris Foundation stated: BEG is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The action to litigate and defame the organization and the family in the US upon inaccurate and partial claims was earlier rejected, multiple times. We are convinced it will be once more.