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The descendants of a Jewish pair have filed a lawsuit against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh oil painting was stolen by the Nazis.

Case History

According to the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the painting, titled Olive Harvest, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were obliged to escape their dwelling in the German city of Munich on the eve of the Second World War.

The legal action argues that the museum, which acquired the painting in the mid-1950s for a significant sum, should have known it was probably stolen property. The descendants are now seeking the return of the canvas along with compensation.

In the decades since WWII, this plundered piece has been often and discreetly exchanged, bought and sold in and through New York, alleges the court document.

The Sterns' Escape

The Stern family escaped from Munich to California in 1936 with their offspring due to persecution by the Nazis. Nevertheless, they were barred from transporting the painting, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Prior to their departure, the regime classified the artwork as German cultural property and banned the family from taking it abroad. Following authorization from a Third Reich agent, a agent assigned by the Nazis auctioned the painting on the family's behalf. But, the funds from the auction were held in a blocked account, which the Nazis later took.

Subsequent Ownership

By 1948, or not long after, the canvas entered New York and was acquired by a wealthy American, a member of the Astor family. Subsequently, it was sold through a commercial outlet to the Met, which then transferred it to prominent shipowner the magnate and his spouse, Elise, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a museum in the Greek capital where the painting is currently exhibited.

Legal Arguments

BEG and a surviving nephew of Goulandris are identified in the suit. The filing states that the Goulandris family and its affiliates have covered up the artwork's provenance and whereabouts from the heirs.

Even now, the defendants continue to conceal the circumstances the BEG came into ownership of the Painting; the family's possession of the Painting from the mid-1930s; and the reality that the Third Reich confiscated the canvas from the family, pressured the family into selling it via a regime representative, and confiscated the money of the sale.

Previous Legal Action

The Stern heirs submitted a related lawsuit in the state of California in 2022, but it was rejected in 2024. An legal challenge was also dismissed in spring 2025.

The Met's Position

The complaint argues that the institution's buying of the painting was approved by a curator, the museum's curator of Old Masters and a leading authority on art theft during the Nazi era. The curator and the museum were aware or ought to have been aware that the Painting had probably been stolen by Nazis.

The museum issued a statement that it is committed to its historical dedication to resolve issues related to WWII.

A representative remarked: Not once during the museum's possession of the artwork was there any record that it had earlier been possessed to the family – in fact, that data did not become known until a long time after the artwork left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – specifically, it was noted that the work was deemed to be of inferior standard than other works of the same type in the collection. While The Met maintains its position that this work entered the collection and was deaccessioned lawfully and well within all guidelines and policies, the museum welcomes and will consider any further evidence that is discovered.

Goulandris Statement

William Charron on behalf of BEG commented: The institution is a esteemed foundation in Athens. The action to take legal action against the institution and the Goulandris family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, on two occasions. We are confident it will be again.