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The family members of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against New York's Metropolitan Museum, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was seized by the Third Reich.

Origins of the Dispute

As stated in the lawsuit, Hedwig and Frederick Stern purchased the piece, titled Olive Picking, in the mid-1930s. Just one year later, they were obliged to escape their residence in Munich just before the Second World War.

The complaint contends that the museum, which acquired the painting in the mid-1950s for $125,000, must have realized it was almost certainly confiscated property. The family are now seeking the restitution of the canvas along with damages.

In the decades since WWII, this stolen artwork has been often and discreetly exchanged, purchased and sold in and through the city of New York, claims the court document.

Family's Flight

The Sterns fled from the city of Munich to California in 1936 with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. However, they were unable to bring the Van Gogh piece, which was produced by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century.

Before the family's emigration, Nazi authorities classified the artwork as property of the state and forbade the couple from taking it abroad. After obtaining permission from a Third Reich agent, a trustee appointed by the Nazis auctioned the artwork on the couple's behalf. But, the proceeds from the transaction were placed in a blocked account, which the authorities later confiscated.

Post-War History

In 1948, or soon after, the canvas entered the United States and was bought by a wealthy American, a member of the Astor family. Later, it was sold through a gallery to the museum, which then transferred it to Greek shipping magnate the magnate and his spouse, Elise, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair established the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a museum in Athens, Greece where the artwork is currently on display.

Legal Arguments

BEG and a living relative of the magnate are identified in the suit. The filing claims that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and current place from the heirs.

To this day, the foundation continue to conceal the circumstances the BEG came into possession of the artwork; the Stern family's ownership of the masterpiece from 1935 to 1938; and the facts that the Nazis stole the Painting from the family, forced the Sterns into selling it via a regime representative, and confiscated the money of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The family submitted a related lawsuit in CA in recently, but it was thrown out in 2024. An legal challenge was also denied in May 2025.

Museum's Response

The complaint argues that the institution's buying of the painting was approved by a curator, the institution's specialist of European paintings and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi art looting. The institution and its expert must have known that the artwork had likely been looted by Nazis.

The Met responded that it prioritizes its longstanding commitment to address issues related to WWII.

A spokesperson remarked: Never during The Met's ownership of the painting was there any documentation that it had once belonged to the heirs – actually, that knowledge did not become known until several decades after the artwork left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for removal from collection – specifically, it was recorded that the work was deemed to be of lower caliber than other works of the comparable nature in the inventory. Although The Met respectfully stands by its position that this piece entered the collection and was deaccessioned properly and well within all guidelines and policies, the Met welcomes and will consider any new information that is discovered.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel representing the Goulandris Foundation stated: The institution is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The effort to litigate and defame the institution and the defendants in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was previously dismissed, multiple times. We are certain it will be once more.