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The heirs of a Jewish spouses have filed a lawsuit against The Met, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh oil painting was seized by the Third Reich.

Historical Background

Per the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the painting, titled Gathering Olives, in the mid-1930s. A year after, they were obliged to escape their residence in the German city of Munich on the eve of the Second World War.

The complaint argues that the Met, which acquired the painting in 1956 for a significant sum, ought to have been aware it was probably stolen property. The descendants are now requesting the return of the canvas along with financial restitution.

Since the end of WWII, this Nazi-looted painting has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, states the court document.

Forced Emigration

Hedwig and Frederick Stern fled from Munich to America in 1936 with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. Nevertheless, they were barred from transporting the artwork, which was created by the celebrated artist in 1889.

Before the family's emigration, the Nazi government declared the painting as property of the state and prohibited the family from bringing it with them. Once approved from a Third Reich agent, a representative appointed by the regime auctioned the painting on the couple's behalf. However, the money from the auction were deposited in a blocked account, which the authorities later confiscated.

Later Transactions

Around 1948, or soon after, the artwork was brought to the United States and was bought by Vincent Astor, a member of the Astor family. Eventually, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the museum, which then passed it on to Greek shipping magnate the magnate and his wife, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

Basil and Elise founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a museum in Athens where the artwork is currently shown.

Legal Arguments

The foundation and a living relative of Goulandris are identified in the suit. The lawsuit claims that the defendants and its related entities have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and current place from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the defendants continue to obscure the manner and time the institution came into control of the artwork; the family's possession of the masterpiece from several years; and the reality that the regime stole the artwork from the family, coerced the family into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and took the funds of the sale.

Previous Legal Action

The Stern heirs submitted a comparable case in the state of California in 2022, but it was thrown out in 2024. An further action was also dismissed in May 2025.

The Met's Position

The complaint contends that the institution's buying of the piece was approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of European paintings and a leading authority on Nazi art looting. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the artwork had almost certainly been seized by Nazis.

The Met responded that it prioritizes its ongoing pledge to address issues related to WWII.

A spokesperson stated: Not once during the museum's possession of the artwork was there any evidence that it had earlier been possessed to the family – in fact, that knowledge did not become available until a long time after the painting left the institution's holdings.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for removal from collection – namely, it was documented that the work was judged to be of lesser quality than other pieces of the similar kind in the inventory. While the institution maintains its stance that this piece entered the holdings and was removed lawfully and well within all guidelines and policies, the Met welcomes and will consider any additional details that emerges.

Foundation's Defense

A lawyer on behalf of the Goulandris Foundation said: The Goulandris Foundation is a renowned institution in Athens. The attempt to take legal action against the organization and the Goulandris family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, multiple times. We are confident it will be once more.