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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 Nazi forces.

Case History

As stated in the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern bought the artwork, titled Olive Picking, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were obliged to escape their home in the German city of Munich on the eve of World War II.

The legal action states that the Met, which acquired the painting in the 1950s for a significant sum, ought to have been aware it was likely stolen property. The heirs are now requesting the return of the artwork along with damages.

Following WWII, this Nazi-looted painting has been often and discreetly exchanged, purchased and sold in and through the city of New York, claims the court document.

Family's Flight

The Sterns fled from their Munich home to America in the late 1930s with their large family due to Nazi persecution. Yet, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Before they left, Nazi authorities classified the masterpiece as German cultural property and banned the couple from bringing it with them. After obtaining permission from a Third Reich agent, a trustee assigned by the authorities sold the piece on the family's behalf. Yet, the money from the transaction were deposited in a frozen account, which the authorities later took.

Post-War History

In 1948, or soon after, the canvas entered NYC and was acquired by a wealthy American, among the richest individuals in the US. Subsequently, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the institution, which then sold it to prominent shipowner the magnate and his wife, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

The Greek couple set up the BEG in 1979, which operates a gallery in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently shown.

Claims and Defenses

The foundation and a family member of Goulandris are named as defendants. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the painting's ownership and current place from the heirs.

Currently, the defendants continue to conceal the manner and time the BEG came into control of the piece; the couple's ownership of the masterpiece from 1935 to 1938; and the truth that the regime stole the canvas from the Stern family, pressured the couple into parting with it via a trustee, and confiscated the funds of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The family filed a comparable case in California in 2022, but it was thrown out in 2024. An appeal was also rejected in spring 2025.

Museum's Response

The lawsuit contends that the museum's acquisition of the artwork was authorized by the museum's expert, the Met's authority of Old Masters and a leading authority on Nazi art looting. The institution and its expert must have known that the artwork had almost certainly been stolen by the Nazis.

The museum issued a statement that it takes seriously its longstanding commitment to address issues related to WWII.

A representative stated: Never during the institution's custody of the piece was there any evidence that it had once belonged to the Stern family – indeed, that information did not become available until many years after the painting left the Museum's collection.

The Met's sale of Olive Picking met the Met's guidelines for deaccessioning – namely, it was recorded that the work was deemed to be of lower caliber than additional artworks of the comparable nature in the holdings. Although the institution respectfully stands by its view that this artwork entered the inventory and was deaccessioned properly and well within all rules and regulations, the museum welcomes and will consider any further evidence that emerges.

Foundation's Defense

William Charron acting for the Goulandris Foundation said: The institution is a renowned institution in Greece. The action to take legal action against the institution and the family in the US upon inaccurate and partial claims was previously dismissed, twice. We are certain it will be again.