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The heirs of a Jewish spouses have brought a case against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh oil painting was stolen by the Third Reich.

Historical Background

As stated in the court documents, Hedwig and Frederick Stern bought the artwork, titled Gathering Olives, in 1935. A year after, they were forced to flee their home in the German city of Munich just before WWII.

The legal action contends that the museum, which acquired the painting in the 1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, ought to have been aware it was likely confiscated property. The family are now requesting the restitution of the artwork along with compensation.

Since the end of World War II, this plundered piece has been often and discreetly exchanged, bought and sold in and through New York, states the legal filing.

Forced Emigration

The Stern family fled from Munich to America in 1936 with their six children due to Nazi persecution. Yet, they were prevented from taking the artwork, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Before they left, Nazi authorities classified the artwork as German cultural property and banned the Sterns from taking it abroad. Following authorization from a Third Reich agent, a agent appointed by the regime auctioned the painting on the Sterns' behalf. However, the funds from the auction were held in a frozen account, which the Nazis later took.

Subsequent Ownership

Around 1948, or not long after, the artwork arrived in New York and was bought by Vincent Astor, among the richest individuals in the US. Eventually, it was sold through a art dealer to the Met, which then sold it to prominent shipowner Basil Goulandris and his spouse, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

Basil and Elise set up the BEG in 1979, which runs a institution in Athens, Greece where the artwork is currently shown.

Legal Arguments

The institution and a family member of Goulandris are named as defendants. The lawsuit alleges that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the artwork's provenance and location from the family.

To this day, the defendants continue to hide the circumstances the foundation came into ownership of the artwork; the family's possession of the Painting from the mid-1930s; and the facts that the Third Reich confiscated the Painting from the Stern family, pressured the family into parting with it via a regime representative, and took the funds of the deal.

Previous Legal Action

The Stern heirs initiated a comparable case in the state of California in 2022, but it was rejected in the following years. An further action was also dismissed in spring 2025.

Museum's Response

The complaint contends that the museum's acquisition of the piece was authorized by a curator, the Met's authority of Old Masters and a renowned specialist on Nazi-era looted art. Rousseau and the Met knew or should have known that the Painting had almost certainly been stolen by Nazis.

The institution responded that it is committed to its historical dedication to resolve claims from the Nazi period.

A spokesperson stated: At no time during the museum's possession of the piece was there any evidence that it had previously been owned to the heirs – actually, that information did not become accessible until many years after the artwork left the Museum's collection.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – in particular, it was recorded that the piece was deemed to be of lesser quality than other works of the similar kind in the holdings. Although the institution upholds its view that this piece entered the holdings and was sold lawfully and well within all guidelines and policies, the Met invites and will examine any additional details that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

A lawyer on behalf of BEG said: BEG is a highly prestigious organization in Athens. The attempt to litigate and defame the Foundation and the family in the America upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, multiple times. We are certain it will be a third time.