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The heirs of a Jewish pair have filed a lawsuit against The Met, alleging that a the Dutch artist art piece was seized by the Nazis.

Historical Background

Per the legal filing, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the piece, titled Gathering Olives, in 1935. The following year, they were compelled to leave their residence in Munich prior to WWII.

The suit contends that the institution, which obtained the painting in 1956 for a significant sum, should have known it was almost certainly stolen property. The family are now demanding the restitution of the canvas along with damages.

Since the end of the war, this plundered piece has been often and discreetly exchanged, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, states the lawsuit.

The Sterns' Escape

The Sterns fled from the city of Munich to the United States in 1936 with their six children due to persecution by the Nazis. Nevertheless, they were barred from transporting the Van Gogh piece, which was painted by the celebrated artist in 1889.

Before they left, the Nazi government designated the painting as property of the state and forbade the Sterns from bringing it with them. Following authorization from a Third Reich agent, a agent appointed by the regime auctioned the artwork on the Sterns' behalf. Yet, the funds from the transaction were deposited in a restricted account, which the regime later took.

Subsequent Ownership

By 1948, or not long after, the painting arrived in New York and was purchased by a wealthy American, among the richest individuals in the US. Eventually, it was sold through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate Goulandris and his spouse, Elise, in 1972.

Basil and Elise established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a gallery in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently on display.

Legal Arguments

BEG and a living relative of Basil Goulandris are named as defendants. The filing states that the family and its related entities have hidden and obscured the painting's ownership and whereabouts from the heirs.

To this day, the foundation continue to obscure the manner and time the foundation came into control of the Painting; the couple's ownership of the masterpiece from 1935 to 1938; and the reality that the Third Reich confiscated the artwork from the heirs, pressured the Sterns into selling it via a trustee, and confiscated the proceeds of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The family submitted a related lawsuit in CA in 2022, but it was thrown out in 2024. An appeal was also dismissed in May 2025.

The Met's Position

The lawsuit argues that the museum's acquisition of the artwork was authorized by a curator, the Met's authority of European paintings and a renowned specialist on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the Painting had likely been seized by the Nazis.

The museum said in a statement that it prioritizes its longstanding commitment to resolve Nazi-era claims.

An official commented: Never during the museum's possession of the painting was there any evidence that it had once belonged to the family – in fact, that information did not become accessible until a long time after the masterpiece left the Museum's collection.

The museum's disposal of the artwork met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – namely, it was noted that the artwork was considered to be of lower caliber than additional artworks of the similar kind in the inventory. While The Met upholds its view that this artwork entered the holdings and was removed lawfully and well within all rules and regulations, the Met is open to and will review any further evidence that comes to light.

BEG's Response

A lawyer acting for the foundation stated: The Goulandris Foundation is a renowned institution in Athens. The attempt to litigate and defame the institution and the defendants in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, multiple times. We are confident it will be again.