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The family members of a Jewish pair have filed a lawsuit against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, asserting that a Van Gogh oil painting was seized by the Third Reich.

Case History

Per the legal filing, Frederick and Hedwig Stern purchased the artwork, titled Olive Picking, in 1935. Just one year later, they were compelled to leave their residence in Munich, Germany on the eve of World War II.

The suit contends that the institution, which obtained the masterpiece in the mid-1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, must have realized it was almost certainly looted property. The heirs are now requesting the restitution of the artwork along with compensation.

Since the end of WWII, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, acquired and disposed of in and through NYC, alleges the lawsuit.

Forced Emigration

Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped from their Munich home to California in 1936 with their large family due to persecution by the Nazis. Yet, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was produced by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Before they left, Nazi authorities declared the painting as a German cultural asset and forbade the Sterns from exporting it. Following authorization from a Third Reich agent, a representative designated by the Nazis disposed of the piece on the couple's behalf. Yet, the money from the sale were placed in a frozen account, which the regime later seized.

Subsequent Ownership

Around 1948, or shortly after, the artwork entered NYC and was bought by a prominent figure, one of America's wealthiest people. Subsequently, it was exchanged through a gallery to the Met, which then transferred it to Greek shipping magnate Basil Goulandris and his partner, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

The Goulandris pair established the BEG in the late 1970s, which manages a gallery in the Greek capital where the painting is currently on display.

Claims and Defenses

The institution and a living relative of Basil Goulandris are identified in the suit. The filing states that the defendants and its related entities have covered up the painting's ownership and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

Even now, the defendants continue to obscure the manner and time the institution came into possession of the artwork; the couple's ownership of the artwork from several years; and the facts that the Third Reich confiscated the Painting from the family, forced the Sterns into parting with it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and seized the money of the deal.

Previous Legal Action

The descendants initiated a comparable case in CA in 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An legal challenge was also rejected in spring 2025.

Institution's Statement

The lawsuit states that the institution's buying of the piece was approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and a renowned specialist on art theft during the Nazi era. Rousseau and the Met were aware or ought to have been aware that the masterpiece had almost certainly been looted by the regime.

The institution responded that it is committed to its ongoing pledge to resolve Nazi-era claims.

A spokesperson stated: Not once during The Met's ownership of the painting was there any record that it had once belonged to the Stern family – indeed, that information did not become known until many years after the painting left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – in particular, it was documented that the artwork was judged to be of lesser quality than other pieces of the comparable nature in the holdings. While the institution upholds its view that this work entered the holdings and was deaccessioned properly and well within all standards and procedures, the museum invites and will examine any additional details that is discovered.

Goulandris Statement

Legal counsel on behalf of the foundation said: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in Athens. The effort to sue and smear the Foundation and the defendants in the United States upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was already thrown out, multiple times. We are confident it will be again.