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The heirs of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh canvas was looted by Nazi forces.

Case History

As stated in the court documents, the Stern couple bought the artwork, titled Olive Picking, in the year 1935. The following year, they were compelled to leave their dwelling in the German city of Munich prior to the Second World War.

The complaint contends that the Met, which acquired the masterpiece in the 1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, must have realized it was likely stolen property. The heirs are now requesting the restitution of the canvas along with compensation.

Since the end of WWII, this Nazi-looted painting has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, claims the legal filing.

The Sterns' Escape

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

Before the family's emigration, the Nazi government classified the artwork as property of the state and banned the couple from taking it abroad. Following authorization from a Third Reich agent, a representative assigned by the authorities disposed of the artwork on the Sterns' behalf. However, the money from the transaction were placed in a blocked account, which the regime later seized.

Post-War History

In 1948, or soon after, the painting was brought to New York and was bought by Vincent Astor, one of America's wealthiest people. Later, it was sold through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then passed it on to Greek shipping magnate the magnate and his spouse, Elise, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair established the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a gallery in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently shown.

Court Allegations

The institution and a living relative of the magnate are listed as respondents. The legal action alleges that the defendants and its affiliates have covered up the artwork's provenance and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to conceal how and when the foundation came into possession of the piece; the family's possession of the artwork from several years; and the reality that the regime confiscated the Painting from the Stern family, coerced the Sterns into parting with it via a trustee, and confiscated the funds of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The Stern heirs filed a similar complaint in CA in the year 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An appeal was also rejected in May 2025.

Museum's Response

The lawsuit argues that the Met's purchase of the painting was authorized by a curator, the museum's curator of European paintings and a leading authority on Nazi art looting. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the artwork had almost certainly been seized by the Nazis.

The institution issued a statement that it prioritizes its longstanding commitment to handle Nazi-era claims.

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 information did not become known until a long time after the painting left the institution's holdings.

The institution's deaccessioning of Olive Picking met the institution's rigorous standards for removal from collection – namely, it was noted that the work was judged to be of lesser quality than additional artworks of the comparable nature in the collection. Although The Met respectfully stands by its stance that this artwork entered the inventory and was removed lawfully and well within all rules and regulations, the institution invites and will examine any new information that emerges.

BEG's Response

William Charron on behalf of BEG commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The effort to sue and smear the organization and the Goulandris family in the America upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, multiple times. We are convinced it will be again.