The descendants of a Jewish spouses have brought a case against New York's Metropolitan Museum, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh oil painting was seized by Nazi forces.
Historical Background
According to the court documents, the Stern couple acquired the piece, titled Gathering Olives, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were compelled to leave their residence in the German city of Munich just before WWII.
The legal action argues that the Met, which acquired the artwork in the mid-1950s for $125,000, must have realized it was probably looted property. The descendants are now seeking the return of the canvas along with compensation.
In the decades since the war, this Nazi-looted painting has been often and discreetly exchanged, bought and sold in and through the city of New York, alleges the court document.
Forced Emigration
The Sterns fled from the city of Munich to California in the late 1930s with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. Yet, they were prevented from taking the artwork, which was produced by the renowned Dutch in 1889.
Before the family's emigration, Nazi authorities classified the painting as German cultural property and banned the family from taking it abroad. Once approved from a Nazi official, a agent assigned by the authorities disposed of the artwork on the family's behalf. But, the funds from the sale were placed in a frozen account, which the Nazis later seized.
Post-War History
By 1948, or not long after, the canvas entered NYC and was bought by Vincent Astor, one of America's wealthiest people. Later, it was transferred through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then transferred it to wealthy Greek businessman the magnate and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.
The Goulandris pair set up the BEG in 1979, which operates a gallery in Athens where the masterpiece is currently on display.
Claims and Defenses
The institution and a living relative of Goulandris are identified in the suit. The lawsuit claims that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the masterpiece's history and whereabouts from the family.
To this day, the foundation continue to obscure the manner and time the institution came into control of the piece; the family's possession of the artwork from the mid-1930s; and the truth that the Nazis stole the canvas from the Stern family, forced the Sterns into disposing of it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and seized the proceeds of the deal.
Previous Legal Action
The family initiated a related lawsuit in the state of California in the year 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An appeal was also dismissed in spring 2025.
The Met's Position
The lawsuit states that the museum's acquisition of the artwork was authorized by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of European art and a leading authority on Nazi art looting. The curator and the museum must have known that the masterpiece had likely been looted by the Nazis.
The institution said in a statement that it is committed to its longstanding commitment to address claims from the Nazi period.
A spokesperson remarked: Not once during the institution's custody of the piece was there any evidence that it had previously been owned to the heirs – actually, that knowledge did not become accessible until several decades after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings.
The museum's disposal of the Van Gogh met the museum's strict criteria for disposal – namely, it was recorded that the artwork was judged to be of lesser quality than additional artworks of the similar kind in the holdings. While the institution maintains its stance that this work entered the inventory and was removed legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the Met invites and will examine any additional details that is discovered.
Goulandris Statement
Legal counsel on behalf of the Goulandris Foundation stated: BEG is a esteemed foundation in Athens. The effort to litigate and defame the institution and the family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, twice. We are confident it will be a third time.
