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The family members of a Jewish pair have brought a case against New York's Metropolitan Museum, alleging that a Van Gogh art piece was looted by Nazi forces.

Historical Background

As stated in the court documents, the Stern couple acquired the painting, titled Olive Picking, in the year 1935. The following year, they were compelled to leave their residence in the German city of Munich just before WWII.

The complaint contends that the museum, which acquired the painting in the 1950s for a significant sum, must have realized it was likely confiscated property. The family are now requesting the restitution of the artwork along with financial restitution.

In the decades since WWII, this plundered piece has been often and discreetly exchanged, acquired and disposed of in and through New York, claims the legal filing.

Forced Emigration

The Stern family fled from Munich to the United States 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 the family's emigration, Nazi authorities classified the artwork as a German cultural asset and prohibited the family from taking it abroad. Following authorization from a Third Reich agent, a agent assigned by the authorities auctioned the piece on the Sterns' behalf. However, the proceeds from the transaction were deposited in a frozen account, which the Nazis later seized.

Subsequent Ownership

In 1948, or shortly after, the artwork arrived in the United States and was purchased by a prominent figure, a member of the Astor family. Subsequently, it was sold through a art dealer to the museum, which then passed it on to Greek shipping magnate the magnate and his wife, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.

Basil and Elise set up the BEG in the late 1970s, which operates a museum in the Greek capital where the painting is currently exhibited.

Court Allegations

The foundation and a surviving nephew of the magnate are named as defendants. The lawsuit claims that the defendants and its related entities have concealed and disguised the painting's ownership and location from the family.

Even now, the Goulandris Defendants continue to obscure the circumstances the foundation came into ownership of the piece; the Stern family's ownership of the masterpiece from 1935 to 1938; and the facts that the regime stole the artwork from the heirs, forced the couple into selling it via a trustee, and took the proceeds of the deal.

Previous Legal Action

The descendants initiated a comparable case in California in 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An appeal was also dismissed in spring 2025.

Institution's Statement

The complaint states that the Met's purchase of the piece was approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the museum's curator of European art and a leading authority on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum were aware or ought to have been aware that the artwork had almost certainly been seized by the regime.

The Met responded that it takes seriously its historical dedication to resolve claims from the Nazi period.

A spokesperson commented: At no time during the museum's possession of the piece was there any documentation that it had once belonged to the heirs – actually, that data did not become accessible until a long time after the masterpiece left the Museum's collection.

The museum's disposal of the Van Gogh met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – in particular, it was noted that the artwork was considered to be of lower caliber than additional artworks of the similar kind in the inventory. While the institution upholds its view that this work entered the inventory and was sold lawfully and well within all standards and procedures, the Met welcomes and will consider any new information that is discovered.

Goulandris Statement

Legal counsel representing the foundation stated: BEG is a renowned institution in Athens. The effort to sue and smear the Foundation and the defendants in the US upon inaccurate and partial claims was already thrown out, multiple times. We are certain it will be once more.