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The family members of a Jewish spouses have initiated legal proceedings against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh canvas was seized by Nazi forces.

Historical Background

As stated in the legal filing, the Stern couple purchased the artwork, titled Gathering Olives, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were obliged to escape their dwelling in Munich prior to WWII.

The legal action states that the museum, which purchased the artwork in the 1950s for a significant sum, should have known it was probably stolen property. The descendants are now demanding the restitution of the canvas along with compensation.

In the decades since WWII, this plundered piece has been often and discreetly exchanged, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, alleges the legal filing.

The Sterns' Escape

Hedwig and Frederick Stern fled from their Munich home to the United States in the late 1930s with their offspring due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were barred from transporting the artwork, which was produced by the celebrated artist in 1889.

Before they left, the regime declared the painting as a German cultural asset and prohibited the couple from exporting it. After obtaining permission from a Nazi official, a trustee appointed by the Nazis sold the piece on the Sterns' behalf. However, the funds from the sale were placed in a frozen account, which the regime later confiscated.

Post-War History

Around 1948, or shortly after, the artwork was brought to New York and was acquired by Vincent Astor, a member of the Astor family. Later, it was transferred through a gallery to the Met, which then transferred it to Greek shipping magnate the magnate and his partner, Elise, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which operates a museum in Athens, Greece where the painting is currently on display.

Legal Arguments

BEG and a family member of the magnate are listed as respondents. The lawsuit alleges that the Goulandris family and its related entities have hidden and obscured the artwork's provenance and location from the heirs.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to obscure the manner and time the institution came into ownership of the piece; the Stern family's ownership of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the truth that the Third Reich stole the artwork from the Stern family, coerced the family into parting with it via a trustee, and seized the funds of the transaction.

Earlier Lawsuits

The descendants filed a comparable case in the state of California in 2022, but it was thrown out in 2024. An appeal was also denied in spring 2025.

Institution's Statement

The legal action contends that the museum's acquisition of the painting was sanctioned by a curator, the museum's curator of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the artwork had likely been stolen by the Nazis.

The museum issued a statement that it prioritizes its historical dedication to resolve claims from the Nazi period.

A representative commented: Not once during the museum's possession of the painting was there any evidence that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – in fact, that data did not become accessible until many years after the artwork left the institution's holdings.

The Met's sale of the Van Gogh met the institution's rigorous standards for disposal – specifically, it was noted that the artwork was considered to be of inferior standard than additional artworks of the similar kind in the holdings. Although the institution maintains its stance that this piece entered the collection and was removed lawfully and well within all standards and procedures, the institution invites and will examine any additional details that is discovered.

BEG's Response

A lawyer on behalf of the foundation said: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in Athens. The action to take legal action against the organization and the family in the United States upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, twice. We are certain it will be again.