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The descendants of a Jewish couple have filed a lawsuit against New York's Metropolitan Museum, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh canvas was looted by the Third Reich.

Case History

As stated in the legal filing, the Stern couple purchased the artwork, titled Gathering Olives, in 1935. Just one year later, they were compelled to leave their dwelling in Munich, Germany just before WWII.

The legal action contends that the museum, which purchased the painting in the 1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, should have known it was probably confiscated property. The family are now seeking the return of the painting along with financial restitution.

Following the war, this stolen artwork has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, claims the legal filing.

Family's Flight

The Stern family escaped from Munich to the United States in 1936 with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. Nevertheless, they were unable to bring the artwork, which was created by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century.

Prior to their departure, the Nazi government designated the masterpiece as a German cultural asset and forbade the family from exporting it. After obtaining permission from a Third Reich agent, a representative appointed by the regime auctioned the piece on the Sterns' behalf. However, the proceeds from the transaction were deposited in a restricted account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Later Transactions

Around 1948, or shortly after, the artwork entered NYC and was acquired by a wealthy American, among the richest individuals in the US. Subsequently, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the Met, which then passed it on to prominent shipowner Basil Goulandris and his partner, Elise, in the early 1970s.

The Goulandris pair set up the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a institution in Athens where the masterpiece is currently on display.

Legal Arguments

BEG and a family member of Goulandris are listed as respondents. The lawsuit claims that the Goulandris family and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the painting's ownership and location from the heirs.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to hide how and when the BEG came into ownership of the Painting; the Stern family's ownership of the masterpiece from several years; and the truth that the Third Reich confiscated the artwork from the heirs, forced the Sterns into disposing of it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and took the funds of the sale.

Earlier Lawsuits

The family filed a related lawsuit in California in 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An legal challenge was also dismissed in spring 2025.

The Met's Position

The complaint contends that the museum's acquisition of the painting was approved by the museum's expert, the Met's authority of European art and one of the world's foremost experts on art theft during the Nazi era. The curator and the museum were aware or ought to have been aware that the artwork had almost certainly been seized by the regime.

The institution issued a statement that it is committed to its historical dedication to handle Nazi-era claims.

A representative remarked: At no time during the museum's possession of the piece was there any documentation that it had previously been owned to the family – indeed, that data did not become available until several decades after the masterpiece left the Met's possession.

The museum's disposal of the Van Gogh met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – in particular, it was noted that the piece was deemed to be of inferior standard than other works of the similar kind in the inventory. While The Met upholds its view that this piece entered the inventory and was removed properly and well within all guidelines and policies, the institution welcomes and will consider any new information that comes to light.

Foundation's Defense

A lawyer on behalf of the Goulandris Foundation commented: The institution is a renowned institution in the Greek capital. The effort to litigate and defame the Foundation and the defendants in the United States upon inaccurate and partial claims was already thrown out, multiple times. We are confident it will be a third time.