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The heirs of a Jewish spouses have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, asserting that a the Dutch artist canvas was looted by the Nazis.

Origins of the Dispute

Per the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in the year 1935. A year after, they were forced to flee their residence in Munich, Germany just before the Second World War.

The suit contends that the museum, which purchased the painting in 1956 for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, must have realized it was almost certainly looted property. The descendants are now seeking the return of the painting along with financial restitution.

Following WWII, this stolen artwork has been often and discreetly exchanged, purchased and sold in and through NYC, alleges the legal filing.

Family's Flight

The Sterns fled from the city of Munich to California in 1936 with their six children due to persecution by the Nazis. Yet, they were barred from transporting the artwork, which was painted by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Before the family's emigration, Nazi authorities designated the painting as German cultural property and forbade the couple from exporting it. Following authorization from a regime representative, a representative designated by the regime auctioned the piece on the couple's behalf. Yet, the funds from the transaction were deposited in a frozen account, which the Nazis later took.

Post-War History

By 1948, or not long after, the artwork arrived in New York and was bought by a wealthy American, one of America's wealthiest people. Subsequently, it was sold through a gallery to the institution, which then transferred it to wealthy Greek businessman Goulandris and his partner, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

The Goulandris pair founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which operates a gallery in Athens, Greece where the painting is currently exhibited.

Claims and Defenses

The institution and a living relative of Goulandris are named as defendants. The filing states that the Goulandris family and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the artwork's provenance and current place from the family.

To this day, the defendants continue to conceal how and when the BEG came into control of the artwork; the couple's ownership of the artwork from the mid-1930s; and the reality that the Nazis looted the Painting from the family, forced the family into parting with it via a trustee, and confiscated the money of the transaction.

Prior Cases

The family submitted a related lawsuit in the state of California in 2022, but it was rejected in the following years. An appeal was also rejected in May 2025.

Institution's Statement

The lawsuit argues that the Met's purchase of the artwork was authorized by a curator, the Met's authority of Old Masters and a leading authority on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the artwork had likely been looted by the Nazis.

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

An official stated: At no time during The Met's ownership of the painting was there any evidence that it had once belonged to the heirs – actually, that knowledge did not become available until a long time after the artwork left the institution's holdings.

The museum's disposal of the Van Gogh met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – in particular, it was noted that the artwork was considered to be of inferior standard than other pieces of the comparable nature in the collection. Even though the museum maintains its view that this piece entered the collection and was removed properly and well within all guidelines and policies, the institution welcomes and will consider any additional details that emerges.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel representing the foundation commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a renowned institution in the Greek capital. The action to take legal action against the institution and the Goulandris family in the America upon inaccurate and partial claims was previously dismissed, on two occasions. We are convinced it will be a third time.