The descendants of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against New York's Metropolitan Museum, alleging that a the Dutch artist canvas was stolen by Nazi forces.
Origins of the Dispute
According to the legal filing, the Stern couple bought the painting, titled Gathering Olives, in 1935. Just one year later, they were forced to flee their home in the German city of Munich just before World War II.
The legal action argues that the institution, which acquired the artwork in 1956 for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, ought to have been aware it was likely confiscated property. The family are now demanding the repatriation of the painting along with damages.
In the decades since WWII, this plundered piece has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, acquired and disposed of in and through New York, states the lawsuit.
Forced Emigration
Hedwig and Frederick Stern departed from Munich to California in 1936 with their offspring due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Yet, they were prevented from taking the Van Gogh piece, which was created by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century.
Prior to their departure, Nazi authorities declared the artwork as property of the state and prohibited the couple from taking it abroad. After obtaining permission from a Third Reich agent, a representative appointed by the regime disposed of the painting on the family's behalf. But, the funds from the auction were placed in a frozen account, which the regime later seized.
Later Transactions
In 1948, or soon after, the canvas arrived in New York and was bought by a wealthy American, among the richest individuals in the US. Later, it was exchanged through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then transferred it to Greek shipping magnate Basil Goulandris and his partner, Elise, in 1972.
Basil and Elise founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a museum in Athens, Greece where the painting is currently on display.
Legal Arguments
The institution and a living relative of Goulandris are listed as respondents. The lawsuit claims that the defendants and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the artwork's provenance and location from the family.
To this day, the defendants continue to obscure the circumstances the institution came into ownership of the Painting; the family's possession of the Painting from 1935 to 1938; and the reality that the regime looted the artwork from the Stern family, pressured the family into selling it via a trustee, and took the money of the transaction.
Earlier Lawsuits
The descendants filed a comparable case in the state of California in recently, but it was dismissed in 2024. An appeal was also rejected in May 2025.
Institution's Statement
The lawsuit argues that the museum's acquisition of the piece was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the museum's curator of European art and a renowned specialist on Nazi art looting. Rousseau and the Met must have known that the artwork had likely been stolen by the Nazis.
The Met issued a statement that it prioritizes its historical dedication to resolve claims from the Nazi period.
An official commented: Not once during The Met's ownership of the artwork was there any record that it had earlier been possessed to the Stern family – in fact, that data did not become accessible until many years after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings.
The institution's deaccessioning of Olive Picking met the institution's rigorous standards for disposal – in particular, it was recorded that the artwork was considered to be of inferior standard than other pieces of the comparable nature in the inventory. While The Met maintains its position that this artwork entered the inventory and was deaccessioned properly and well within all rules and regulations, the institution welcomes and will consider any new information that is discovered.
BEG's Response
Legal counsel on behalf of BEG commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in the Greek capital. The action to sue and smear the institution and the defendants in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, twice. We are certain it will be again.
