The heirs of a Jewish couple have brought a case against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, claiming that a Van Gogh canvas was stolen by Nazi forces.
Case History
According to the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern bought the piece, titled Gathering Olives, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were compelled to leave their home in the German city of Munich on the eve of World War II.
The complaint argues that the institution, which obtained the masterpiece in 1956 for a significant sum, should have known it was likely looted property. The descendants are now requesting the return of the artwork along with compensation.
Since the end of World War II, this plundered piece has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, bought and sold in and through the city of New York, alleges the lawsuit.
Forced Emigration
Hedwig and Frederick Stern fled from the city of Munich to the United States in 1936 with their large family due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Yet, they were prevented from taking the Van Gogh piece, which was produced by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century.
Before they left, the Nazi government declared the painting as a German cultural asset and banned the family from exporting it. Once approved from a Nazi official, a trustee appointed by the authorities sold the artwork on the couple's behalf. However, the money from the transaction were held in a blocked account, which the regime later seized.
Post-War History
By 1948, or not long after, the canvas arrived in the United States and was acquired by a prominent figure, a member of the Astor family. Later, it was transferred through a gallery to the institution, which then transferred it to Greek shipping magnate Goulandris and his wife, Mrs. Goulandris, in the early 1970s.
Basil and Elise set up the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which operates a gallery in Athens, Greece where the artwork is currently exhibited.
Legal Arguments
The foundation and a family member of Basil Goulandris are listed as respondents. The lawsuit claims that the family and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the painting's ownership and location from the family.
To this day, the foundation continue to conceal the manner and time the institution came into possession of the piece; the Stern family's ownership of the masterpiece from the mid-1930s; and the facts that the Nazis looted the canvas from the Stern family, pressured the couple into selling it via a trustee, and confiscated the funds of the deal.
Prior Cases
The Stern heirs filed a related lawsuit in CA in the year 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An further action was also dismissed in spring 2025.
The Met's Position
The lawsuit contends that the museum's acquisition of the artwork was authorized by the museum's expert, the museum's curator of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi-era looted art. Rousseau and the Met must have known that the Painting had almost certainly been stolen by the Nazis.
The museum said in a statement that it prioritizes its longstanding commitment to resolve issues related to WWII.
A representative remarked: Not once during the institution's custody of the piece was there any documentation that it had previously been owned to the family – actually, that data did not become known until a long time after the masterpiece left the Met's possession.
The institution's deaccessioning of the Van Gogh met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – namely, it was noted that the piece was judged to be of lower caliber than additional artworks of the similar kind in the collection. Although the institution maintains its stance that this work entered the holdings and was removed lawfully and well within all guidelines and policies, the museum welcomes and will consider any new information that comes to light.
Foundation's Defense
A lawyer representing the foundation commented: The institution is a renowned institution in Greece. The action to sue and smear the Foundation and the family in the America upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was already thrown out, on two occasions. We are confident it will be once more.
