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The family members of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, alleging that a the Dutch artist art piece was looted by the Nazis.

Origins of the Dispute

Per the lawsuit, the Stern couple acquired the painting, titled Olive Harvest, in the year 1935. The following year, they were obliged to escape their home in the German city of Munich just before World War II.

The suit argues that the Met, which purchased the artwork in the mid-1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, must have realized it was almost certainly confiscated property. The heirs are now requesting the return 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 NYC, claims the legal filing.

The Sterns' Escape

The Sterns fled from their Munich home to the United States in 1936 with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. Nevertheless, they were barred from transporting the Van Gogh piece, which was produced by the celebrated artist in 1889.

Before the family's emigration, the Nazi government designated the masterpiece as property of the state and banned the family from exporting it. Once approved from a regime representative, a trustee designated by the Nazis auctioned the piece on the couple's behalf. But, the funds from the auction were deposited in a frozen account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Subsequent Ownership

By 1948, or soon after, the canvas arrived in New York and was bought by Vincent Astor, one of America's wealthiest people. Later, it was sold through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then transferred it to Greek shipping magnate Basil Goulandris and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.

Basil and Elise established the Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which operates a museum in Athens where the masterpiece is currently shown.

Legal Arguments

The foundation and a surviving nephew of Goulandris are named as defendants. The filing claims that the family and its affiliates have hidden and obscured the masterpiece's history and location from the family.

Currently, the defendants continue to hide the circumstances the BEG came into control of the artwork; the family's possession of the artwork from several years; and the truth that the Third Reich looted the Painting from the heirs, pressured the Sterns into disposing of it via a trustee, and took the funds of the deal.

Previous Legal Action

The family submitted a comparable case in CA in 2022, but it was rejected in the following years. An appeal was also rejected in spring 2025.

The Met's Position

The complaint argues that the museum's acquisition of the artwork was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of European paintings and a leading authority on art theft during the Nazi era. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the masterpiece had likely been stolen by the Nazis.

The museum issued a statement that it prioritizes its historical dedication to handle claims from the Nazi period.

A spokesperson stated: Never during the institution's custody of the painting was there any evidence that it had earlier been possessed to the heirs – in fact, that data did not become accessible until many years after the painting left the Met's possession.

The institution's deaccessioning of the Van Gogh met the Met's guidelines for deaccessioning – in particular, it was documented that the piece was deemed to be of inferior standard than additional artworks of the similar kind in the collection. Although the institution respectfully stands by its stance that this work entered the inventory and was removed legally and well within all standards and procedures, the institution invites and will examine any additional details that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

William Charron acting for BEG said: The Goulandris Foundation is a esteemed foundation in Athens. The effort to sue and smear the organization and the defendants in the America upon inaccurate and partial claims was previously dismissed, multiple times. We are confident it will be a third time.