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The family members of a Jewish pair have brought a case against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, alleging that a the Dutch artist canvas was seized by Nazi forces.

Origins of the Dispute

As stated in the lawsuit, the Stern couple bought the piece, titled Gathering Olives, in the year 1935. The following year, they were forced to flee their dwelling in Munich just before World War II.

The suit states that the Met, which obtained the masterpiece in the mid-1950s for a significant sum, ought to have been aware it was probably confiscated property. The heirs are now requesting the repatriation of the canvas along with financial restitution.

Since the end of WWII, this Nazi-looted painting has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, bought and sold in and through the city of New York, states the lawsuit.

Forced Emigration

Hedwig and Frederick Stern fled from the city of Munich to America in 1936 with their offspring due to persecution by the Nazis. Yet, they were prevented from taking the Van Gogh piece, which was painted by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century.

Before the family's emigration, the Nazi government classified the masterpiece as property of the state and prohibited the family from exporting it. Once approved from a Nazi official, a representative designated by the Nazis disposed of the painting on the Sterns' behalf. However, the money from the auction were deposited in a blocked account, which the regime later confiscated.

Subsequent Ownership

In 1948, or not long after, the artwork was brought to NYC and was bought by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Later, it was transferred through a gallery to the museum, which then transferred it to wealthy Greek businessman the magnate and his wife, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair established the BEG in the late 1970s, which runs a institution in Athens where the painting is currently exhibited.

Court Allegations

The institution and a living relative of the magnate are identified in the suit. The legal action states that the defendants and its affiliates have hidden and obscured the painting's ownership and current place from the heirs.

Even now, the Goulandris Defendants continue to obscure how and when the institution came into ownership of the piece; the family's possession of the Painting from the mid-1930s; and the facts that the Nazis looted the Painting from the heirs, forced the family into parting with it via a regime representative, and seized the money of the deal.

Prior Cases

The Stern heirs filed a similar complaint in California in the year 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An appeal was also rejected in spring 2025.

Institution's Statement

The complaint argues that the museum's acquisition of the piece was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, 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 masterpiece had almost certainly been stolen by Nazis.

The institution issued a statement that it is committed to its historical dedication to resolve claims from the Nazi period.

A representative stated: Not once during the institution's custody of the painting was there any evidence that it had once belonged to the heirs – indeed, that information did not become available until several decades after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings.

The institution's deaccessioning of the artwork met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – in particular, it was recorded that the piece was considered to be of lower caliber than additional artworks of the same type in the inventory. Even though The Met respectfully stands by its view that this piece entered the holdings and was sold legally and well within all rules and regulations, the institution invites and will examine any further evidence that is discovered.

Goulandris Statement

Legal counsel acting for the Goulandris Foundation commented: The institution is a esteemed foundation in Athens. The action to litigate and defame the Foundation and the defendants in the US upon inaccurate and partial claims was already thrown out, on two occasions. We are confident it will be a third time.