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The descendants of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, claiming that a Van Gogh oil painting was stolen by the Third Reich.

Case History

Per the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern bought the painting, titled Gathering Olives, in the year 1935. The following year, they were forced to flee their dwelling in the German city of Munich prior to WWII.

The complaint contends that the institution, which acquired the masterpiece in 1956 for $125,000, should have known it was almost certainly confiscated property. The heirs are now requesting the restitution of the artwork along with damages.

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

Forced Emigration

The Sterns fled from Munich to America in the late 1930s with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. However, they were barred from transporting the Van Gogh piece, which was created by the celebrated artist in 1889.

Before the family's emigration, Nazi authorities designated the artwork as property of the state and banned the Sterns from bringing it with them. After obtaining permission from a regime representative, a agent designated by the authorities sold the piece on the couple's behalf. Yet, the money from the transaction were held in a restricted account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Subsequent Ownership

Around 1948, or shortly after, the painting entered New York and was bought by Vincent Astor, one of America's wealthiest people. Later, it was exchanged through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate Goulandris and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair set up the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which operates a gallery in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently exhibited.

Legal Arguments

BEG and a surviving nephew of Basil Goulandris are listed as respondents. The filing claims that the family and its related entities have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to obscure the circumstances the foundation came into possession of the Painting; the family's possession of the artwork from several years; and the facts that the Third Reich stole the Painting from the heirs, pressured the Sterns into parting with it via a regime representative, and confiscated the money of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The family submitted a similar complaint in CA in 2022, but it was thrown out in 2024. An appeal was also rejected in May 2025.

Institution's Statement

The lawsuit contends that the Met's purchase of the artwork was sanctioned by a curator, the museum's curator of Old Masters and a renowned specialist on Nazi-era looted art. Rousseau and the Met knew or should have known that the artwork had likely been looted by the Nazis.

The Met responded that it prioritizes its historical dedication to address issues related to WWII.

A representative remarked: Never during The Met's ownership of the artwork was there any record that it had previously been owned to the family – actually, that data did not become available until many years after the masterpiece left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for disposal – in particular, it was noted that the piece was deemed to be of inferior standard than other works of the comparable nature in the collection. Although the institution maintains its view that this artwork entered the collection and was sold lawfully and well within all guidelines and policies, the Met invites and will examine any additional details that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

William Charron on behalf of the foundation stated: BEG is a esteemed foundation in the Greek capital. The effort to sue and smear the institution and the Goulandris family in the US upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was already thrown out, twice. We are certain it will be a third time.