New York's Met Museum Responds to Legal Challenge Over Allegedly Nazi-Looted Van Gogh Masterpiece

The heirs of a Jewish spouses have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, asserting that a the Dutch artist art piece was looted by the Nazis.

Origins of the Dispute

According to the court documents, Hedwig and Frederick Stern bought the artwork, titled Olive Picking, in 1935. Just one year later, they were obliged to escape their home in Munich, Germany prior to WWII.

The suit contends that the museum, which purchased the masterpiece in the 1950s for a significant sum, must have realized it was almost certainly stolen property. The heirs are now demanding the return of the artwork along with financial restitution.

Since the end of the war, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through the city of New York, alleges the lawsuit.

Forced Emigration

Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped from their Munich home to California in the late 1930s with their large family due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Before they left, the regime classified the painting as property of the state and prohibited the Sterns from taking it abroad. Following authorization from a Nazi official, a representative designated by the Nazis sold the piece on the family's behalf. Yet, the money from the auction were deposited in a restricted account, which the Nazis later seized.

Subsequent Ownership

Around 1948, or soon after, the canvas was brought to New York and was purchased by a wealthy American, one of America's wealthiest people. Later, it was sold through a art dealer to the Met, which then transferred it to prominent shipowner Basil Goulandris and his wife, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise established the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a museum in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently shown.

Legal Arguments

The institution and a family member of Basil Goulandris are identified in the suit. The lawsuit claims that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the artwork's provenance and whereabouts from the family.

To this day, the foundation continue to conceal the manner and time the institution came into ownership of the Painting; the couple's ownership of the artwork from the mid-1930s; and the reality that the regime confiscated the canvas from the family, pressured the family into disposing of it via a trustee, and took the money of the sale.

Prior Cases

The Stern heirs initiated a comparable case in CA in recently, but it was rejected in 2024. An further action was also dismissed in May 2025.

Museum's Response

The complaint states that the museum's acquisition of the piece was authorized by a curator, the institution's specialist of European paintings and a renowned specialist 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 institution said in a statement that it is committed to its historical dedication to handle issues related to WWII.

A spokesperson stated: At no time during The Met's ownership of the painting was there any evidence that it had earlier been possessed to the heirs – actually, that knowledge did not become accessible until several decades after the painting left the Met's possession.

The museum's disposal of Olive Picking met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – namely, it was noted that the artwork was considered to be of inferior standard than additional artworks of the same type in the collection. Although the institution upholds its position that this piece entered the inventory and was sold lawfully and well within all rules and regulations, the museum is open to and will review any additional details that is discovered.

BEG's Response

William Charron representing the foundation commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a esteemed foundation in the Greek capital. The action to sue and smear the institution and the Goulandris family in the America upon inaccurate and partial claims was earlier rejected, twice. We are certain it will be a third time.