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The heirs of a Jewish couple have filed a lawsuit against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, claiming that a Van Gogh art piece was stolen by the Nazis.

Historical Background

According to the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the piece, titled Olive Picking, in the mid-1930s. A year after, they were obliged to escape their home in the German city of Munich prior to World War II.

The complaint contends that the Met, which obtained the painting in 1956 for a significant sum, should have known it was probably looted property. The descendants are now demanding the restitution of the artwork along with financial restitution.

Since the end of World War II, this plundered piece has been often and discreetly exchanged, purchased and sold in and through the city of New York, states the court document.

Family's Flight

The Stern family escaped from the city of Munich to America in 1936 with their large family due to Nazi persecution. However, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was created by the celebrated artist in the late 19th century.

Before they left, the Nazi government declared the masterpiece as German cultural property and forbade the Sterns from bringing it with them. Once approved from a Nazi official, a trustee designated by the authorities disposed of the painting on the couple's behalf. However, the funds from the transaction were deposited in a blocked account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Subsequent Ownership

By 1948, or not long after, the painting entered New York and was acquired by a prominent figure, a member of the Astor family. Later, it was sold through a gallery to the Met, which then sold it to prominent shipowner Basil Goulandris and his wife, Elise, in 1972.

The Greek couple established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a gallery in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently shown.

Legal Arguments

The institution and a living relative of Basil Goulandris are identified in the suit. The filing states that the family and its related entities have concealed and disguised the painting's ownership and whereabouts from the heirs.

To this day, the defendants continue to conceal the manner and time the BEG came into possession of the artwork; the couple's ownership of the Painting from several years; and the reality that the Third Reich looted the Painting from the family, coerced the Sterns into selling it via a trustee, and seized the funds of the transaction.

Prior Cases

The Stern heirs filed a comparable case in California in 2022, but it was thrown out in 2024. An appeal was also rejected in spring 2025.

The Met's Position

The complaint argues that the Met's purchase of the painting was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the Met's authority of Old Masters and a leading authority on Nazi-era looted art. The institution and its expert knew or should have known that the masterpiece had almost certainly been seized by Nazis.

The museum responded that it is committed to its historical dedication to handle Nazi-era claims.

An official stated: Never during The Met's ownership of the artwork was there any record that it had previously been owned to the family – indeed, that data did not become known until a long time after the painting left the Museum's collection.

The Met's sale of Olive Picking met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – namely, it was noted that the artwork was deemed to be of lower caliber than other works of the similar kind in the holdings. Although the institution upholds its view that this work entered the holdings and was removed lawfully and well within all rules and regulations, the museum is open to and will review any further evidence that emerges.

Goulandris Statement

Legal counsel representing BEG commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a esteemed foundation in the Greek capital. The action to litigate and defame the institution and the Goulandris family in the America upon inaccurate and partial claims was previously dismissed, multiple times. We are certain it will be a third time.