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The descendants of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh oil painting was looted by Nazi forces.

Origins of the Dispute

As stated in the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the piece, titled Gathering Olives, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were obliged to escape their home in Munich on the eve of World War II.

The suit argues that the Met, which obtained the masterpiece in the 1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, should have known it was probably looted property. The descendants are now requesting the repatriation of the painting along with compensation.

Following WWII, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through the city of New York, claims the court document.

Family's Flight

Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped from their Munich home to California in 1936 with their six children due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Nevertheless, they were unable to bring the artwork, which was produced by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Before they left, the regime classified the masterpiece as property of the state and banned the couple from bringing it with them. Once approved from a Third Reich agent, a trustee assigned by the regime sold the artwork on the couple's behalf. Yet, the funds from the sale were deposited in a restricted account, which the Nazis later seized.

Later Transactions

By 1948, or soon after, the artwork entered New York and was acquired by a wealthy American, among the richest individuals in the US. Eventually, it was transferred through a art dealer to the institution, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate Goulandris and his wife, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

The Greek couple founded the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a gallery in Athens, Greece where the painting is currently exhibited.

Claims and Defenses

The institution and a surviving nephew of Goulandris are named as defendants. The legal action states that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and location from the family.

Even now, the defendants continue to conceal how and when the foundation came into ownership of the artwork; the Stern family's ownership of the masterpiece from several years; and the facts that the regime looted the artwork from the Stern family, pressured the family into parting with it via a trustee, and seized the proceeds of the transaction.

Earlier Lawsuits

The Stern heirs initiated a similar complaint in California in 2022, but it was rejected in 2024. An further action was also dismissed in May 2025.

The Met's Position

The complaint argues that the museum's acquisition of the artwork was sanctioned by a curator, the Met's authority of European art and a leading authority on art theft during the Nazi era. Rousseau and the Met were aware or ought to have been aware that the artwork had almost certainly been looted by Nazis.

The Met responded that it prioritizes its ongoing pledge to resolve claims from the Nazi period.

A spokesperson remarked: At no time during the museum's possession of the piece was there any documentation that it had once belonged to the heirs – indeed, that information did not become accessible until several decades after the painting left the institution's holdings.

The museum's disposal of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for removal from collection – namely, it was documented that the artwork was judged to be of lower caliber than other pieces of the comparable nature in the holdings. Even though The Met maintains its position that this work entered the collection and was removed properly and well within all rules and regulations, the Met welcomes and will consider any additional details that is discovered.

BEG's Response

William Charron acting for BEG commented: The institution is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The effort to sue and smear the Foundation and the family in the America upon inaccurate and partial claims was earlier rejected, on two occasions. We are certain it will be again.