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The descendants of a Jewish spouses have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh canvas was looted by the Nazis.

Case History

According to the legal filing, the Stern couple purchased the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in 1935. The following year, they were compelled to leave their dwelling in Munich, Germany prior to the Second World War.

The complaint states that the museum, which obtained the artwork in the 1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, must have realized it was probably stolen property. The family are now demanding the return of the artwork along with financial restitution.

In the decades since WWII, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, purchased and sold in and through NYC, states the legal filing.

Family's Flight

Hedwig and Frederick Stern departed from Munich to America in 1936 with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. Nevertheless, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was produced by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Prior to their departure, Nazi authorities designated the artwork as property of the state and prohibited the couple from bringing it with them. After obtaining permission from a regime representative, a agent assigned by the authorities sold the artwork on the couple's behalf. However, the funds from the sale were deposited in a blocked account, which the regime later confiscated.

Post-War History

Around 1948, or soon after, the canvas arrived in New York and was bought by a prominent figure, one of America's wealthiest people. Later, it was transferred through a gallery to the museum, which then sold it to prominent shipowner Basil Goulandris and his partner, Mrs. Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

The Goulandris pair established the BEG in the late 1970s, which runs a institution in the Greek capital where the masterpiece is currently on display.

Legal Arguments

The institution and a family member of Goulandris are listed as respondents. The lawsuit states that the Goulandris family and its affiliates have hidden and obscured the artwork's provenance and current place from the heirs.

Even now, the Goulandris Defendants continue to conceal the circumstances the institution came into possession of the Painting; the couple's ownership of the Painting from 1935 to 1938; and the facts that the regime stole the Painting from the heirs, coerced the family into disposing of it via a regime representative, and seized the proceeds of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The family filed a related lawsuit in the state of California in the year 2022, but it was rejected in 2024. An further action was also dismissed in May 2025.

Museum's Response

The complaint argues that the Met's purchase of the artwork was sanctioned by the museum's expert, the museum's curator of European art and a leading authority on Nazi art looting. The institution and its expert knew or should have known that the masterpiece had almost certainly been looted by the Nazis.

The Met issued a statement that it is committed to its ongoing pledge to address claims from the Nazi period.

A spokesperson stated: Never during The Met's ownership of the artwork was there any documentation that it had once belonged to the family – in fact, that knowledge did not become accessible until many years after the artwork left the institution's holdings.

The institution's deaccessioning of the Van Gogh met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – namely, it was noted that the piece was deemed to be of lesser quality than additional artworks of the similar kind in the holdings. Even though The Met respectfully stands by its stance that this piece entered the collection and was sold legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the museum is open to and will review any new information that is discovered.

Goulandris Statement

Legal counsel representing the foundation stated: The Goulandris Foundation is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The effort to litigate and defame the organization and the defendants in the America upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, on two occasions. We are convinced it will be once more.