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The family members of a Jewish spouses have filed a lawsuit against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh canvas was stolen by the Nazis.

Historical Background

As stated in the legal filing, the Stern couple purchased the artwork, titled Gathering Olives, in the year 1935. Just one year later, they were obliged to escape their residence in the German city of Munich just before the Second World War.

The complaint argues that the Met, which obtained the artwork in the mid-1950s for $125,000, must have realized it was probably stolen property. The descendants are now seeking the return of the canvas along with compensation.

In the decades since World War II, this stolen artwork has been often and discreetly exchanged, bought and sold in and through NYC, states the court document.

Forced Emigration

The Stern family fled from their Munich home to California in 1936 with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. However, they were barred from transporting the Van Gogh piece, which was produced by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Before the family's emigration, the regime classified the painting as German cultural property and forbade the family from taking it abroad. Following authorization from a Third Reich agent, a representative designated by the Nazis auctioned the piece on the couple's behalf. But, the funds from the sale were placed in a blocked account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Post-War History

In 1948, or not long after, the painting was brought to New York and was bought by a prominent figure, a member of the Astor family. Subsequently, it was transferred through a gallery to the Met, which then transferred it to wealthy Greek businessman the magnate and his partner, Elise, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a institution in the Greek capital where the artwork is currently shown.

Legal Arguments

The institution and a living relative of the magnate are identified in the suit. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants and its affiliates have hidden and obscured the artwork's provenance and whereabouts from the heirs.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to conceal how and when the foundation came into possession of the Painting; the family's possession of the masterpiece from 1935 to 1938; and the reality that the Third Reich looted the Painting from the Stern family, forced the Sterns into disposing of it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the funds of the transaction.

Earlier Lawsuits

The descendants initiated a related lawsuit in California in 2022, but it was thrown out in 2024. An legal challenge was also dismissed in spring 2025.

Museum's Response

The complaint argues that the Met's purchase of the artwork was sanctioned by the museum's expert, the institution's specialist of European paintings and a leading authority on art theft during the Nazi era. The curator and the museum must have known that the artwork had likely been looted by the Nazis.

The museum responded that it prioritizes its historical dedication to resolve issues related to WWII.

A representative commented: Never during the museum's possession of the painting was there any documentation that it had earlier been possessed to the heirs – in fact, that knowledge did not become available until several decades after the masterpiece left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of the Van Gogh met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – in particular, it was recorded that the piece was deemed to be of lesser quality than other pieces of the similar kind in the collection. Although the institution respectfully stands by its view that this artwork entered the holdings and was sold properly and well within all standards and procedures, the institution welcomes and will consider any additional details that comes to light.

Foundation's Defense

William Charron representing BEG said: BEG is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The action to sue and smear the institution and the defendants in the US upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was already thrown out, on two occasions. We are convinced it will be once more.