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The descendants of a Jewish spouses have filed a lawsuit against New York's Metropolitan Museum, alleging that a Van Gogh art piece was looted by the Nazis.

Historical Background

According to the court documents, the Stern couple bought the artwork, titled Olive Picking, in 1935. Just one year later, they were obliged to escape their dwelling in Munich, Germany prior to the Second World War.

The suit states that the institution, which obtained the painting in the 1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, must have realized it was likely looted property. The family are now seeking the return of the canvas along with financial restitution.

Since the end of the war, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, purchased and sold in and through New York, states the legal filing.

Family's Flight

The Sterns departed from the city of Munich to America in 1936 with their large family due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were unable to bring the artwork, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Before the family's emigration, the regime classified the artwork as property of the state and prohibited the Sterns from exporting it. Following authorization from a Nazi official, a trustee appointed by the Nazis auctioned the painting on the family's behalf. Yet, the money from the transaction were held in a restricted account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Post-War History

In 1948, or shortly after, the artwork arrived in the United States and was bought by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Later, it was transferred through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then transferred it to Greek shipping magnate the magnate and his wife, Elise, in the early 1970s.

The Goulandris pair set up the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which manages a museum in the Greek capital where the masterpiece is currently on display.

Court Allegations

The institution and a family member of the magnate are listed as respondents. The filing claims that the family and its associated organizations have concealed and disguised the artwork's provenance and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

Even now, the defendants continue to conceal how and when the institution came into ownership of the piece; the family's possession of the artwork from several years; and the facts that the Nazis looted the canvas from the family, pressured the Sterns into parting with it via a regime representative, and took the money of the sale.

Earlier Lawsuits

The descendants filed a related lawsuit in the state of California in the year 2022, but it was thrown out in the following years. An further action was also rejected in May 2025.

Museum's Response

The lawsuit argues that the Met's purchase of the artwork was authorized by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the museum's curator of European art and a renowned specialist on art theft during the Nazi era. The curator and the museum were aware or ought to have been aware that the masterpiece had probably been looted by the Nazis.

The museum said in a statement that it takes seriously its historical dedication to handle issues related to WWII.

A representative commented: Never during The Met's ownership of the painting was there any evidence that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – actually, that knowledge did not become accessible until several decades after the artwork left the Museum's collection.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the Met's guidelines for disposal – in particular, it was documented that the artwork was deemed to be of inferior standard than other pieces of the same type in the collection. Even though The Met upholds its stance that this work entered the holdings and was removed legally and well within all rules and regulations, the Met welcomes and will consider any new information that is discovered.

BEG's Response

Legal counsel representing the foundation commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in Athens. The attempt to sue and smear the institution and the Goulandris family in the United States upon inaccurate and partial claims was previously dismissed, multiple times. We are confident it will be once more.