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The descendants of a Jewish spouses have initiated legal proceedings against New York's Metropolitan Museum, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was stolen by the Nazis.

Case History

As stated in the legal filing, the Stern couple bought the piece, titled Olive Picking, in the year 1935. The following year, they were forced to flee their dwelling in Munich, Germany prior to WWII.

The legal action states that the Met, which purchased the masterpiece in the mid-1950s for a significant sum, ought to have been aware it was almost certainly stolen property. The heirs are now demanding the return of the artwork along with financial restitution.

Following the war, this stolen artwork has been often and discreetly exchanged, bought and sold in and through New York, alleges the legal filing.

The Sterns' Escape

The Sterns departed from the city of Munich to California in the late 1930s with their offspring due to persecution by the Nazis. Nevertheless, they were unable to bring the painting, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Before they left, Nazi authorities declared the artwork as a German cultural asset and banned the Sterns from exporting it. Once approved from a Third Reich agent, a trustee assigned by the regime sold the painting on the family's behalf. However, the money from the auction were held in a frozen account, which the Nazis later seized.

Post-War History

By 1948, or soon after, the artwork was brought to the United States and was purchased by Vincent Astor, among the richest individuals in the US. Eventually, it was transferred through a gallery to the museum, which then passed it on to Greek shipping magnate Goulandris and his partner, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair set up the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a institution in Athens where the painting is currently shown.

Claims and Defenses

The foundation and a living relative of the magnate are identified in the suit. The legal action alleges that the family and its associated organizations have concealed and disguised the artwork's provenance and current place from the family.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to conceal how and when the foundation came into control of the artwork; the couple's ownership of the masterpiece from 1935 to 1938; and the truth that the Nazis confiscated the canvas from the Stern family, forced the couple into selling it via a trustee, and confiscated the funds of the transaction.

Prior Cases

The family submitted a comparable case in CA in recently, but it was thrown out in 2024. An legal challenge was also denied in spring 2025.

Museum's Response

The complaint argues that the Met's purchase of the artwork was authorized by the museum's expert, the institution's specialist of European art and a renowned specialist on Nazi art looting. Rousseau and the Met were aware or ought to have been aware that the Painting had probably been looted by the regime.

The museum said in a statement that it prioritizes its historical dedication to address claims from the Nazi period.

An official stated: At no time during The Met's ownership of the artwork was there any documentation that it had previously been owned to the family – indeed, that information did not become known until a long time after the masterpiece left the Museum's collection.

The institution's deaccessioning of the artwork met the museum's strict criteria for deaccessioning – namely, it was documented that the work was deemed to be of lower caliber than additional artworks of the similar kind in the holdings. While The Met maintains its stance that this piece entered the collection and was deaccessioned properly and well within all rules and regulations, the Met invites and will examine any additional details that comes to light.

BEG's Response

William Charron on behalf of the Goulandris Foundation said: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in Athens. The effort to litigate and defame the Foundation and the Goulandris family in the United States upon inaccurate and partial claims was previously dismissed, twice. We are certain it will be once more.