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The family members of a Jewish pair have brought a case against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, alleging that a the Dutch artist art piece was stolen by Nazi forces.

Origins of the Dispute

As stated in the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern bought the artwork, titled Olive Picking, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were obliged to escape their residence in the German city of Munich just before World War II.

The suit argues that the institution, which acquired the painting in 1956 for $125,000, should have known it was probably looted property. The descendants are now seeking the return of the artwork along with compensation.

Since the end of WWII, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, acquired and disposed of in and through NYC, alleges the court document.

The Sterns' Escape

The Sterns fled from Munich to California in the late 1930s with their six children due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were unable to bring the Van Gogh piece, which was created by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Prior to their departure, the Nazi government classified the masterpiece as property of the state and forbade the Sterns from taking it abroad. After obtaining permission from a Nazi official, a agent designated by the authorities sold the piece on the Sterns' behalf. However, the proceeds from the sale were deposited in a blocked account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Post-War History

Around 1948, or soon after, the canvas arrived in New York and was acquired by Vincent Astor, among the richest individuals in the US. Subsequently, it was exchanged through a gallery to the Met, which then passed it on to Greek shipping magnate Basil Goulandris and his wife, Elise, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a museum in Athens, Greece where the painting is currently shown.

Legal Arguments

The foundation and a surviving nephew of Goulandris are identified in the suit. The legal action states that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have concealed and disguised the painting's ownership and location from the heirs.

To this day, the defendants continue to conceal the manner and time the foundation came into control of the piece; the couple's ownership of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the reality that the Nazis looted the Painting from the family, coerced the Sterns into disposing of it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the funds of the deal.

Earlier Lawsuits

The family initiated a comparable case in California in recently, but it was rejected in the following years. An further action was also denied in May 2025.

Museum's Response

The lawsuit argues that the museum's acquisition of the piece was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of European art and a leading authority on art theft during the Nazi era. Rousseau and the Met must have known that the masterpiece had almost certainly been stolen by Nazis.

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

A representative remarked: Never during The Met's ownership of the piece was there any documentation that it had earlier been possessed to the heirs – indeed, that data did not become available until several decades after the artwork left the Museum's collection.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for removal from collection – in particular, it was recorded that the work was considered to be of lower caliber than other pieces of the similar kind in the collection. Even though The Met upholds its stance that this piece entered the collection and was removed legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the institution is open to and will review any further evidence that emerges.

Goulandris Statement

Legal counsel on behalf of the Goulandris Foundation stated: The Goulandris Foundation is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The effort to sue and smear the organization and the defendants in the United States upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, multiple times. We are confident it will be again.