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The family members of a Jewish spouses have brought a case against New York's Metropolitan Museum, alleging that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was stolen by the Nazis.

Origins of the Dispute

According to the court documents, Hedwig and Frederick Stern purchased the piece, titled Olive Harvest, in 1935. The following year, they were compelled to leave their dwelling in Munich, Germany on the eve of WWII.

The legal action states that the institution, which obtained the masterpiece in the mid-1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, must have realized it was probably confiscated property. The descendants are now demanding the restitution of the painting along with compensation.

Following WWII, this plundered piece has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, bought and sold in and through NYC, alleges the court document.

The Sterns' Escape

The Sterns fled from Munich to America in the late 1930s with their large family due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were unable to bring the Van Gogh piece, which was created by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Prior to their departure, the Nazi government declared the masterpiece as property of the state and banned the couple from exporting it. Once approved from a Nazi official, a representative designated by the regime auctioned the piece on the family's behalf. However, the funds from the auction were held in a blocked account, which the regime later confiscated.

Later Transactions

In 1948, or not long after, the canvas entered New York and was acquired by Vincent Astor, among the richest individuals in the US. Eventually, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the museum, which then sold it to prominent shipowner Basil Goulandris and his wife, Elise, in 1972.

The Greek couple established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a museum in Athens where the masterpiece is currently exhibited.

Claims and Defenses

The foundation and a family member of Basil Goulandris are named as defendants. The legal action alleges that the defendants and its affiliates have hidden and obscured the painting's ownership and location from the plaintiffs.

Even now, the Goulandris Defendants continue to obscure how and when the BEG came into ownership of the piece; the family's possession of the Painting from 1935 to 1938; and the truth that the regime confiscated the Painting from the heirs, forced the couple into selling it via a regime representative, and confiscated the money of the deal.

Earlier Lawsuits

The family filed a comparable case in the state of California in recently, but it was thrown out in 2024. An further action was also dismissed in May 2025.

Museum's Response

The lawsuit states that the institution's buying of the painting was sanctioned by the museum's expert, the museum's curator of Old Masters and a renowned specialist on Nazi art looting. The institution and its expert must have known that the artwork had likely been looted by Nazis.

The institution responded that it prioritizes its historical dedication to handle issues related to WWII.

An official commented: At no time during the institution's custody of the piece was there any evidence that it had previously been owned to the heirs – in fact, that information did not become accessible until a long time after the artwork left the Museum's collection.

The institution's deaccessioning of the artwork met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – namely, it was recorded that the work was judged to be of inferior standard than other pieces of the comparable nature in the collection. Although The Met maintains its position that this artwork entered the holdings and was removed properly and well within all guidelines and policies, the institution is open to and will review any additional details that is discovered.

BEG's Response

A lawyer on behalf of BEG commented: The institution is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The attempt to sue and smear the organization and the family in the America upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was already thrown out, on two occasions. We are convinced it will be once more.