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The heirs of a Jewish spouses have filed a lawsuit against New York's Metropolitan Museum, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was looted by Nazi forces.

Origins of the Dispute

As stated in the court documents, Hedwig and Frederick Stern purchased the piece, titled Gathering Olives, in the year 1935. A year after, they were compelled to leave their residence in the German city of Munich on the eve of World War II.

The legal action argues that the institution, which obtained the masterpiece in the 1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, must have realized it was likely confiscated property. The descendants are now seeking the return of the canvas along with damages.

In the decades since World War II, this stolen artwork has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, bought and sold in and through NYC, states the court document.

Forced Emigration

Hedwig and Frederick Stern fled from the city of Munich to the United States in the late 1930s with their large family due to Nazi persecution. Yet, they were unable to bring the painting, which was created by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Before the family's emigration, Nazi authorities declared the painting as property of the state and banned the Sterns from exporting it. Following authorization from a regime representative, a agent appointed by the authorities auctioned the artwork on the couple's behalf. Yet, the money from the auction were held in a blocked account, which the Nazis later took.

Subsequent Ownership

In 1948, or shortly after, the artwork entered NYC and was acquired by Vincent Astor, one of America's wealthiest people. Eventually, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the Met, which then sold it to prominent shipowner Goulandris and his wife, Elise, in 1972.

Basil and Elise set up the BEG in the late 1970s, which manages a institution in Athens where the masterpiece is currently exhibited.

Claims and Defenses

BEG and a living relative of the magnate are listed as respondents. The filing claims that the defendants and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

Even now, the foundation continue to hide how and when the institution came into control of the Painting; the family's possession of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the facts that the regime confiscated the canvas from the Stern family, forced the family into selling it via a trustee, and seized the money of the deal.

Previous Legal Action

The family filed a comparable case in California in 2022, but it was thrown out in 2024. An appeal was also denied in May 2025.

Museum's Response

The complaint states that the museum's acquisition of the piece was authorized by a curator, the Met's authority of European art and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum must have known that the Painting had almost certainly been seized by the regime.

The museum responded that it takes seriously its ongoing pledge to resolve Nazi-era claims.

An official stated: At no time during The Met's ownership of the artwork was there any record that it had earlier been possessed to the heirs – indeed, that information did not become known until several decades after the painting left the institution's holdings.

The museum's disposal of Olive Picking met the Met's guidelines for disposal – namely, it was noted that the work was considered to be of inferior standard than additional artworks of the similar kind in the collection. While the museum upholds its stance that this work entered the inventory and was removed legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the museum welcomes and will consider any additional details that emerges.

BEG's Response

A lawyer representing the Goulandris Foundation commented: The institution is a renowned institution in Greece. The attempt to litigate and defame the institution and the family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was previously dismissed, twice. We are convinced it will be again.