🔗 Share this article

The family members of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against New York's Metropolitan Museum, alleging that a Van Gogh art piece was stolen by Nazi forces.

Origins of the Dispute

According to the court documents, Hedwig and Frederick Stern acquired the painting, titled Olive Harvest, in the mid-1930s. A year after, they were obliged to escape their home in Munich on the eve of World War II.

The complaint states that the institution, which purchased the artwork in the mid-1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, should have known it was likely stolen property. The descendants are now demanding the repatriation of the canvas along with damages.

Since the end of WWII, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, states the lawsuit.

The Sterns' Escape

The Sterns fled from Munich to the United States in 1936 with their six children due to Nazi persecution. Nevertheless, they were prevented from taking the Van Gogh piece, which was produced by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century.

Before they left, Nazi authorities declared the artwork as German cultural property and banned the couple from exporting it. Once approved from a regime representative, a agent assigned by the authorities auctioned the painting on the family's behalf. However, the proceeds from the transaction were placed in a frozen account, which the Nazis later took.

Post-War History

By 1948, or shortly after, the canvas arrived in New York and was bought by a prominent figure, one of America's wealthiest people. Subsequently, it was sold through a gallery to the museum, which then transferred it to wealthy Greek businessman Goulandris and his spouse, Elise, in 1972.

The Greek couple founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which manages a gallery in the Greek capital where the artwork is currently exhibited.

Legal Arguments

The foundation and a living relative of Goulandris are identified in the suit. The filing claims that the defendants and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the artwork's provenance and current place from the family.

Even now, the foundation continue to obscure the circumstances the foundation came into control of the Painting; the Stern family's ownership of the artwork from several years; and the facts that the Nazis confiscated the artwork from the family, coerced the Sterns into parting with it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the proceeds of the sale.

Earlier Lawsuits

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

Institution's Statement

The complaint argues that the Met's purchase of the piece was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the Met's authority of European paintings and a leading authority on Nazi art looting. The institution and its expert must have known that the masterpiece had almost certainly been seized by Nazis.

The museum issued a statement that it is committed to its ongoing pledge to resolve Nazi-era claims.

A representative commented: At no time during the institution's custody of the artwork was there any documentation that it had earlier been possessed to the heirs – actually, that information did not become known until many years after the artwork left the institution's holdings.

The museum's disposal of the Van Gogh met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – in particular, it was recorded that the piece was considered to be of lesser quality than other pieces of the similar kind in the collection. While The Met respectfully stands by its view that this piece entered the collection and was removed legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the museum welcomes and will consider any further evidence that is discovered.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel on behalf of BEG said: The Goulandris Foundation is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The attempt to sue and smear the organization and the family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, on two occasions. We are convinced it will be once more.