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The family members of a Jewish spouses have filed a lawsuit against The Met, alleging that a Van Gogh oil painting was stolen by Nazi forces.

Historical Background

As stated in the court documents, Hedwig and Frederick Stern purchased the painting, titled Gathering Olives, in 1935. The following year, they were forced to flee their home in Munich, Germany on the eve of World War II.

The legal action argues that the Met, which acquired the artwork in the 1950s for a significant sum, ought to have been aware it was probably confiscated property. The family are now seeking the repatriation of the artwork along with financial restitution.

In the decades since WWII, this stolen artwork has been often and discreetly exchanged, bought and sold in and through New York, claims the court document.

Family's Flight

Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped from their Munich home to America in 1936 with their six children due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were prevented from taking the Van Gogh piece, which was created by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Before the family's emigration, Nazi authorities declared the painting as German cultural property and prohibited the family from taking it abroad. Following authorization from a Third Reich agent, a trustee assigned by the Nazis auctioned the painting on the couple's behalf. But, the money from the transaction were deposited in a frozen account, which the Nazis later seized.

Subsequent Ownership

By 1948, or shortly after, the artwork arrived in NYC and was acquired by a prominent figure, a member of the Astor family. Subsequently, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the museum, which then transferred it to prominent shipowner Basil Goulandris and his wife, Elise, in the early 1970s.

The Goulandris pair founded the BEG in 1979, which operates a institution in the Greek capital where the painting is currently exhibited.

Court Allegations

BEG and a surviving nephew of Goulandris are identified in the suit. The filing claims that the family and its related entities have hidden and obscured the painting's ownership and whereabouts from the heirs.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to conceal how and when the institution came into ownership of the Painting; the Stern family's ownership of the Painting from the mid-1930s; and the reality that the Nazis stole the canvas from the family, pressured the couple into disposing of it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the funds of the transaction.

Prior Cases

The Stern heirs submitted a related lawsuit in the state of California in the year 2022, but it was rejected in 2024. An legal challenge was also dismissed in spring 2025.

Institution's Statement

The lawsuit argues that the institution's buying of the painting was sanctioned by the museum's expert, the Met's authority of European art and a renowned specialist on art theft during the Nazi era. The institution and its expert were aware or ought to have been aware that the artwork had likely been stolen by Nazis.

The Met responded that it prioritizes its historical dedication to address Nazi-era claims.

A representative stated: At no time during the museum's possession of the piece was there any evidence that it had previously been owned to the heirs – indeed, that data did not become accessible until many years after the painting left the Museum's collection.

The museum's disposal of the artwork met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – namely, it was noted that the artwork was deemed to be of inferior standard than other works of the comparable nature in the collection. While The Met maintains its position that this work entered the inventory and was deaccessioned lawfully and well within all guidelines and policies, the institution welcomes and will consider any additional details that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

Legal counsel acting for BEG said: BEG is a renowned institution in Greece. The attempt to take legal action against the organization and the family in the America upon inaccurate and partial claims was previously dismissed, twice. We are convinced it will be once more.