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The heirs of a Jewish pair have brought a case against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, alleging that a Van Gogh canvas was stolen by Nazi forces.

Origins of the Dispute

Per the lawsuit, the Stern couple bought the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in the mid-1930s. Just one year later, they were forced to flee their dwelling in Munich just before WWII.

The suit states that the Met, which acquired the masterpiece in the mid-1950s for $125,000, must have realized it was likely looted property. The heirs are now seeking the restitution of the painting along with compensation.

In the decades since the war, this Nazi-looted painting has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, purchased and sold in and through New York, claims the legal filing.

Family's Flight

Hedwig and Frederick Stern departed from Munich to the United States in 1936 with their large family due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were unable to bring the painting, which was created by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Before the family's emigration, Nazi authorities declared the painting as property of the state and banned the couple from taking it abroad. Following authorization from a regime representative, a representative assigned by the Nazis auctioned the painting on the Sterns' behalf. Yet, the proceeds from the transaction were placed in a restricted account, which the regime later confiscated.

Subsequent Ownership

By 1948, or soon after, the painting entered New York and was bought by Vincent Astor, a member of the Astor family. Subsequently, it was sold through a gallery to the museum, which then transferred it to prominent shipowner the magnate and his spouse, Elise, in 1972.

The Greek couple founded the Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which manages a institution in Athens where the artwork is currently on display.

Court Allegations

BEG and a family member of Goulandris are listed as respondents. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants and its related entities have covered up the artwork's provenance and location from the plaintiffs.

Even now, the defendants continue to hide how and when the BEG came into ownership of the artwork; the family's possession of the masterpiece from the mid-1930s; and the truth that the Nazis looted the Painting from the heirs, pressured the family into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the funds of the transaction.

Prior Cases

The family initiated a similar complaint in CA in recently, but it was thrown out in the following years. An further action was also denied in spring 2025.

The Met's Position

The legal action contends that the Met's purchase of the painting was approved by a curator, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and a leading authority on Nazi art looting. The curator and the museum were aware or ought to have been aware that the artwork had almost certainly been seized by the Nazis.

The institution issued a statement that it is committed to its longstanding commitment to address Nazi-era claims.

An official remarked: At no time during the institution's custody of the piece was there any record that it had earlier been possessed to the heirs – actually, that data did not become available until several decades after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings.

The institution's deaccessioning of Olive Picking met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – specifically, it was noted that the work was considered to be of inferior standard than other works of the comparable nature in the collection. Although The Met maintains its stance that this work entered the collection and was removed properly and well within all rules and regulations, the institution is open to and will review any additional details that comes to light.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel on behalf of the Goulandris Foundation commented: The institution is a renowned institution in Greece. The effort to take legal action against the institution and the family in the America upon inaccurate and partial claims was already thrown out, multiple times. We are certain it will be once more.