Metropolitan Museum Faces Legal Challenge Over Reportedly Nazi-Plundered Van Gogh Masterpiece

The descendants of a Jewish pair have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, alleging that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was seized by the Third Reich.

Case History

Per the court documents, Hedwig and Frederick Stern bought the artwork, titled Olive Picking, in the year 1935. A year after, they were forced to flee their dwelling in the German city of Munich just before the Second World War.

The suit states that the institution, which acquired the artwork in the 1950s for $125,000, should have known it was likely confiscated property. The heirs are now requesting the restitution of the canvas along with compensation.

Since the end of the war, this Nazi-looted painting has been often and discreetly exchanged, purchased and sold in and through New York, alleges the court document.

Family's Flight

Hedwig and Frederick Stern fled from the city of Munich to America in 1936 with their offspring due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Yet, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was painted by the celebrated artist in 1889.

Before they left, Nazi authorities designated the masterpiece as property of the state and prohibited the Sterns from exporting it. After obtaining permission from a regime representative, a representative designated by the authorities disposed of the piece on the Sterns' behalf. But, the funds from the transaction were deposited in a frozen account, which the authorities later confiscated.

Later Transactions

By 1948, or soon after, the canvas entered New York and was acquired by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Eventually, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the Met, which then transferred it to wealthy Greek businessman Basil Goulandris and his partner, Elise, in the early 1970s.

The Goulandris pair set up the BEG in the late 1970s, which operates a museum in Athens, Greece where the artwork is currently shown.

Claims and Defenses

The foundation and a living relative of Goulandris are named as defendants. The filing states that the defendants and its associated organizations have concealed and disguised the artwork's provenance and location from the family.

Currently, the foundation continue to obscure the manner and time the BEG came into ownership of the Painting; the couple's ownership of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the facts that the regime stole the Painting from the Stern family, pressured the couple into parting with it via a trustee, and confiscated the funds of the transaction.

Earlier Lawsuits

The family filed a related lawsuit in the state of California in recently, but it was rejected in the following years. An legal challenge was also denied in spring 2025.

Institution's Statement

The legal action contends that the institution's buying of the artwork was approved by a curator, the museum's curator of European paintings and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi-era looted art. The institution and its expert must have known that the artwork had likely been stolen by Nazis.

The institution responded that it prioritizes its historical dedication to resolve Nazi-era claims.

A representative stated: Not once during the institution's custody of the artwork was there any record that it had earlier been possessed to the Stern family – actually, that data did not become accessible until several decades after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings.

The Met's sale of Olive Picking met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – specifically, it was recorded that the piece was considered to be of lesser quality than other pieces of the similar kind in the holdings. Even though the institution respectfully stands by its position that this artwork entered the collection and was removed properly and well within all rules and regulations, the institution welcomes and will consider any new information that is discovered.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel acting for BEG stated: The institution is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The effort to litigate and defame the Foundation and the defendants in the United States upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was previously dismissed, twice. We are confident it will be again.