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The descendants of a Jewish spouses have filed a lawsuit against The Met, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh canvas was stolen by Nazi forces.

Historical Background

According to the legal filing, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the painting, titled Olive Harvest, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were forced to flee their residence in Munich prior to the Second World War.

The complaint states that the Met, which acquired the artwork in the mid-1950s for a significant sum, ought to have been aware it was likely looted property. The descendants are now demanding the return of the painting along with financial restitution.

In the decades since World War II, this plundered piece has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, bought and sold in and through NYC, states the legal filing.

Family's Flight

Hedwig and Frederick Stern departed from the city of Munich to the United States in the late 1930s with their large family due to the oppressive Nazi regime. However, they were unable to bring the Van Gogh piece, which was created by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Prior to their departure, the regime declared the painting as a German cultural asset and prohibited the Sterns from taking it abroad. Once approved from a Third Reich agent, a agent designated by the Nazis sold the artwork on the Sterns' behalf. However, the money from the sale were held in a restricted account, which the authorities later took.

Post-War History

In 1948, or not long after, the artwork arrived in the United States and was bought by a wealthy American, a member of the Astor family. Eventually, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the museum, which then passed it on to wealthy Greek businessman Basil Goulandris and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

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

Legal Arguments

BEG and a family member of the magnate are named as defendants. The lawsuit claims that the defendants and its related entities have covered up the painting's ownership and current place from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to hide how and when the institution came into ownership of the Painting; the Stern family's ownership of the masterpiece from the mid-1930s; and the reality that the Nazis confiscated the canvas from the Stern family, coerced the family into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the funds of the deal.

Earlier Lawsuits

The Stern heirs filed a related lawsuit in the state of California in 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An appeal was also dismissed in spring 2025.

Museum's Response

The legal action states that the museum's acquisition of the artwork was authorized by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the Met's authority of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi-era looted art. Rousseau and the Met were aware or ought to have been aware that the Painting had likely been looted by the regime.

The institution responded that it takes seriously its longstanding commitment to handle claims from the Nazi period.

An official remarked: Never during the institution's custody of the artwork was there any evidence that it had earlier been possessed to the heirs – actually, that knowledge did not become known until many years after the artwork left the Met's possession.

The museum's disposal of the Van Gogh met the museum's strict criteria for deaccessioning – in particular, it was recorded that the piece was considered to be of inferior standard than other works of the comparable nature in the inventory. Although The Met respectfully stands by its stance that this work entered the collection and was sold legally and well within all standards and procedures, the institution is open to and will review any additional details that emerges.

BEG's Response

William Charron acting for BEG commented: BEG is a renowned institution in Athens. The effort to litigate and defame the organization and the defendants in the America upon inaccurate and partial claims was already thrown out, multiple times. We are confident it will be again.