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The heirs of a Jewish spouses have initiated legal proceedings against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, alleging that a Vincent van Gogh oil painting was stolen by the Third Reich.

Case History

According to the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the painting, titled Gathering Olives, in 1935. The following year, they were forced to flee their dwelling in the German city of Munich prior to the Second World War.

The complaint contends that the Met, which purchased the masterpiece in the 1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, ought to have been aware it was almost certainly confiscated property. The descendants are now requesting the return of the canvas along with damages.

Since the end of WWII, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, purchased and sold in and through NYC, alleges the legal filing.

Family's Flight

Hedwig and Frederick Stern departed from the city of Munich to California in the late 1930s with their large family due to Nazi persecution. Nevertheless, they were unable to bring the painting, which was produced by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Before they left, Nazi authorities declared the artwork as a German cultural asset and forbade the Sterns from bringing it with them. Following authorization from a Third Reich agent, a representative designated by the Nazis disposed of the painting on the Sterns' behalf. But, the proceeds from the sale were held in a restricted account, which the regime later confiscated.

Post-War History

In 1948, or soon after, the painting entered the United States and was acquired by a wealthy American, among the richest individuals in the US. Later, it was transferred through a art dealer to the Met, which then transferred it to prominent shipowner the magnate and his partner, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair set up the Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which runs a gallery in Athens where the artwork is currently exhibited.

Legal Arguments

The foundation and a surviving nephew of the magnate are listed as respondents. The legal action claims that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the artwork's provenance and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the foundation continue to conceal the circumstances the foundation came into possession of the Painting; the family's possession of the artwork from the mid-1930s; and the facts that the Nazis confiscated the Painting from the heirs, forced the family into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and took the money of the sale.

Prior Cases

The Stern heirs filed a related lawsuit in the state of California in recently, but it was dismissed in 2024. An appeal was also dismissed in May 2025.

The Met's Position

The legal action contends that the museum's acquisition of the artwork was authorized by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the museum's curator of Old Masters and a renowned specialist on art theft during the Nazi era. Rousseau and the Met must have known that the artwork had probably been stolen by the regime.

The museum responded that it takes seriously its ongoing pledge to handle claims from the Nazi period.

An official commented: Never during The Met's ownership of the artwork was there any record that it had earlier been possessed to the Stern family – in fact, that data did not become available until many years after the masterpiece left the Museum's collection.

The museum's disposal of Olive Picking met the institution's rigorous standards for disposal – specifically, it was documented that the artwork was deemed to be of inferior standard than other works of the comparable nature in the collection. Although the museum upholds its position that this piece entered the holdings and was sold legally and well within all rules and regulations, the museum is open to and will review any additional details that is discovered.

BEG's Response

Legal counsel on behalf of the foundation commented: BEG is a renowned institution in Athens. The action to litigate and defame the institution and the defendants in the America upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was already thrown out, multiple times. We are confident it will be a third time.