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The family members of a Jewish spouses have filed a lawsuit against New York's Metropolitan Museum, asserting that a Van Gogh oil painting was seized by the Nazis.

Origins of the Dispute

Per the court documents, Hedwig and Frederick Stern purchased the painting, titled Olive Picking, in the year 1935. Just one year later, they were forced to flee their dwelling in the German city of Munich on the eve of the Second World War.

The complaint contends that the museum, which purchased the artwork in the mid-1950s for a significant sum, ought to have been aware it was probably confiscated property. The family are now demanding the return of the artwork along with financial restitution.

Since the end of WWII, this Nazi-looted painting has been often and discreetly exchanged, purchased and sold in and through NYC, claims the court document.

The Sterns' Escape

The Sterns departed from their Munich home to California in the late 1930s with their large family due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was painted by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Before the family's emigration, Nazi authorities classified the masterpiece as property of the state and forbade the couple from bringing it with them. Once approved from a Third Reich agent, a trustee appointed by the authorities auctioned the artwork on the family's behalf. However, the proceeds from the sale were deposited in a frozen account, which the Nazis later seized.

Post-War History

Around 1948, or not long after, the canvas arrived in New York and was bought by Vincent Astor, one of America's wealthiest people. Later, it was exchanged through a gallery to the museum, which then passed it on to prominent shipowner the magnate and his spouse, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

Basil and Elise founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which manages a gallery in Athens where the artwork is currently shown.

Legal Arguments

The institution and a family member of Basil Goulandris are listed as respondents. The lawsuit claims that the defendants and its related entities have covered up the masterpiece's history and location from the heirs.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to conceal how and when the BEG came into ownership of the Painting; the couple's ownership of the artwork from several years; and the reality that the Third Reich looted the Painting from the heirs, coerced the Sterns into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and took the proceeds of the transaction.

Earlier Lawsuits

The Stern heirs filed a related lawsuit in the state of California in recently, but it was thrown out in 2024. An legal challenge was also denied in recently.

Museum's Response

The complaint argues that the institution's buying of the piece was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the museum's curator of European art and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the masterpiece had probably been stolen by Nazis.

The institution said in a statement that it takes seriously its historical dedication to address Nazi-era claims.

An official commented: Never during the museum's possession of the painting was there any evidence that it had earlier been possessed to the Stern family – indeed, that information did not become accessible until a long time after the artwork left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of Olive Picking met the institution's rigorous standards for removal from collection – in particular, it was recorded that the artwork was judged to be of lower caliber than other works of the similar kind in the inventory. Even though the museum upholds its stance that this artwork entered the inventory and was deaccessioned lawfully and well within all rules and regulations, the Met is open to and will review any further evidence that is discovered.

BEG's Response

William Charron on behalf of BEG commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The attempt to take legal action against the Foundation and the defendants in the United States upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was previously dismissed, twice. We are confident it will be again.