The Met Confronts Legal Action Over Reportedly Nazi-Stolen Van Gogh Painting
The descendants of a Jewish pair have brought a case against The Met, alleging that a the Dutch artist oil painting was looted by the Nazis.
Case History
According to the court documents, Hedwig and Frederick Stern purchased the piece, titled Gathering Olives, in 1935. Just one year later, they were obliged to escape their residence in Munich, Germany on the eve of the Second World War.
The complaint argues that the institution, which purchased the masterpiece in the mid-1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, should have known it was likely confiscated property. The heirs are now seeking the repatriation of the artwork along with financial restitution.
In the decades since the war, this plundered piece has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, bought and sold in and through the city of New York, states the court document.
Forced Emigration
The Sterns escaped from Munich to America in 1936 with their six children due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Nevertheless, they were prevented from taking the artwork, which was painted by the celebrated artist in 1889.
Before they left, Nazi authorities declared the masterpiece as German cultural property and prohibited the family from taking it abroad. Once approved from a regime representative, a agent assigned by the authorities disposed of the painting on the Sterns' behalf. However, the funds from the auction were held in a frozen account, which the Nazis later took.
Later Transactions
In 1948, or not long after, the canvas was brought to New York and was acquired by a prominent figure, one of America's wealthiest people. Subsequently, it was sold through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then transferred it to prominent shipowner the magnate and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.
The Goulandris pair founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which operates a institution in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently shown.
Claims and Defenses
The institution and a family member of the magnate are listed as respondents. The lawsuit claims that the family and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the masterpiece's history and current place from the heirs.
Even now, the foundation continue to obscure the manner and time the foundation came into possession of the Painting; the family's possession of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the truth that the Third Reich confiscated the canvas from the Stern family, forced the couple into disposing of it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the money of the deal.
Earlier Lawsuits
The family filed a related lawsuit in California in 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An legal challenge was also rejected in spring 2025.
Institution's Statement
The lawsuit states that the institution's buying of the piece was approved by the museum's expert, the institution's specialist of European art and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi art looting. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the masterpiece had probably been looted by Nazis.
The Met said in a statement that it is committed to its longstanding commitment to resolve issues related to WWII.
A representative stated: Not once during the museum's possession of the painting was there any documentation that it had once belonged to the family – actually, that information did not become available until many years after the painting left the Museum's collection.
The museum's disposal of the Van Gogh met the Met's guidelines for disposal – namely, it was noted that the piece was judged to be of lesser quality than additional artworks of the same type in the holdings. While the museum maintains its view that this work entered the inventory and was removed lawfully and well within all rules and regulations, the institution welcomes and will consider any further evidence that is discovered.
Foundation's Defense
William Charron acting for BEG commented: BEG is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The effort to take legal action against the institution and the family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was previously dismissed, twice. We are convinced it will be a third time.