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The family members of a Jewish couple have filed a lawsuit against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, alleging that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was seized by the Third Reich.

Historical Background

Per the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in the year 1935. Just one year later, they were obliged to escape their dwelling in Munich, Germany just before World War II.

The legal action argues that the museum, which obtained the painting in 1956 for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, should have known it was almost certainly looted property. The heirs are now seeking the repatriation of the artwork along with compensation.

Following the war, this Nazi-looted painting has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, purchased and sold in and through the city of New York, claims the legal filing.

The Sterns' Escape

Hedwig and Frederick Stern departed from Munich to the United States in 1936 with their six children due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Yet, they were prevented from taking the Van Gogh piece, which was created by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Before they left, the Nazi government declared the masterpiece as German cultural property and forbade the family from exporting it. After obtaining permission from a Nazi official, a representative designated by the authorities auctioned the artwork on the couple's behalf. Yet, the funds from the auction were placed in a blocked account, which the regime later took.

Subsequent Ownership

In 1948, or not long after, the canvas entered NYC and was acquired by a wealthy American, one of America's wealthiest people. Later, it was transferred through a gallery to the museum, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate the magnate and his wife, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise established the BEG in 1979, which operates a museum in the Greek capital where the artwork is currently exhibited.

Court Allegations

The foundation and a living relative of Goulandris are named as defendants. The lawsuit claims that the defendants and its affiliates have covered up the painting's ownership and location from the heirs.

Currently, the Goulandris Defendants continue to hide how and when the institution came into possession of the piece; the couple's ownership of the artwork from several years; and the facts that the Third Reich stole the artwork from the family, forced the couple into selling it via a regime representative, and took the funds of the sale.

Prior Cases

The family filed a similar complaint in the state of California in 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An appeal was also rejected in May 2025.

Institution's Statement

The complaint states that the museum's acquisition of the piece was approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the museum's curator of European art and a renowned specialist on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the artwork had almost certainly been stolen by the regime.

The institution issued a statement that it takes seriously its longstanding commitment to address claims from the Nazi period.

A spokesperson commented: Never during The Met's ownership of the painting was there any record that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – actually, that information did not become available until several decades after the painting left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of the Van Gogh met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – namely, it was documented that the work was considered to be of lesser quality than additional artworks of the similar kind in the holdings. While The Met respectfully stands by its position that this piece entered the holdings and was removed properly and well within all rules and regulations, the museum invites and will examine any new information that is discovered.

Goulandris Statement

William Charron representing the Goulandris Foundation said: The Goulandris Foundation is a renowned institution in the Greek capital. The attempt to sue and smear the organization and the family in the US upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was already thrown out, twice. We are convinced it will be a third time.