The Met Confronts Legal Action Over Allegedly Nazi-Looted Van Gogh Painting
The descendants of a Jewish spouses have brought a case against The Met, asserting that a Van Gogh art piece was looted by Nazi forces.
Case History
According to the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern bought the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were obliged to escape their residence in Munich on the eve of WWII.
The legal action contends that the institution, which acquired the masterpiece in 1956 for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, ought to have been aware it was probably confiscated property. The heirs are now seeking the restitution of the canvas along with compensation.
Following World War II, this plundered piece has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through New York, alleges the legal filing.
The Sterns' Escape
The Sterns escaped from Munich to America in 1936 with their large family due to persecution by the Nazis. Nevertheless, they were barred from transporting the Van Gogh piece, which was painted by the renowned Dutch in 1889.
Before they left, the Nazi government declared the masterpiece as German cultural property and forbade the Sterns from exporting it. After obtaining permission from a regime representative, a representative designated by the regime sold the artwork on the Sterns' behalf. But, the money from the transaction were held in a blocked account, which the Nazis later seized.
Subsequent Ownership
Around 1948, or soon after, the painting entered New York and was bought by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Eventually, it was transferred through a gallery to the institution, which then transferred it to wealthy Greek businessman Goulandris and his partner, Elise, in 1972.
Basil and Elise established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which runs a museum in Athens where the masterpiece is currently exhibited.
Legal Arguments
The institution and a surviving nephew of Goulandris are named as defendants. The filing claims that the defendants and its related entities have covered up the artwork's provenance and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.
Even now, the Goulandris Defendants continue to conceal the manner and time the BEG came into ownership of the piece; the couple's ownership of the masterpiece from 1935 to 1938; and the truth that the regime confiscated the canvas from the Stern family, coerced the couple into parting with it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and seized the funds of the deal.
Earlier Lawsuits
The Stern heirs initiated a related lawsuit in CA in recently, but it was dismissed in 2024. An legal challenge was also rejected in spring 2025.
Museum's Response
The complaint argues that the museum's acquisition of the painting was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the institution's specialist of European paintings and a renowned specialist on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum must have known that the masterpiece had probably been stolen by the Nazis.
The Met said in a statement that it takes seriously its historical dedication to address claims from the Nazi period.
An official stated: Never during the institution's custody of the piece was there any evidence that it had once belonged to the heirs – in fact, that knowledge did not become known until several decades after the artwork left the institution's holdings.
The museum's disposal of Olive Picking met the Met's guidelines for deaccessioning – namely, it was documented that the work was considered to be of inferior standard than other works of the similar kind in the inventory. While the museum respectfully stands by its view that this work entered the inventory and was removed legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the museum invites and will examine any additional details that emerges.
Goulandris Statement
William Charron on behalf of the Goulandris Foundation said: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in the Greek capital. The effort to litigate and defame the organization and the Goulandris family in the America upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, multiple times. We are certain it will be once more.
