🔗 Share this article

The heirs of a Jewish couple have brought a case against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was looted by Nazi forces.

Origins of the Dispute

Per the legal filing, the Stern couple acquired the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were forced to flee their dwelling in the German city of Munich on the eve of the Second World War.

The legal action argues that the institution, which purchased the masterpiece in 1956 for $125,000, should have known it was probably stolen property. The family are now requesting the repatriation of the painting along with financial restitution.

Since the end of the war, this Nazi-looted painting has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, alleges the legal filing.

Family's Flight

The Sterns escaped from their Munich home to the United States in the late 1930s with their offspring due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Nevertheless, they were prevented from taking the artwork, which was painted by the celebrated artist in the late 19th century.

Before the family's emigration, the Nazi government designated the artwork as German cultural property and prohibited the Sterns from exporting it. After obtaining permission from a Third Reich agent, a trustee appointed by the Nazis auctioned the artwork on the couple's behalf. Yet, the funds from the transaction were held in a restricted account, which the Nazis later seized.

Later Transactions

Around 1948, or shortly after, the artwork entered NYC and was acquired by a wealthy American, among the richest individuals in the US. Later, it was sold through a gallery to the museum, which then passed it on to prominent shipowner the magnate and his partner, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a institution in Athens where the painting is currently exhibited.

Court Allegations

The institution and a surviving nephew of the magnate are listed as respondents. The legal action claims that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to obscure the circumstances the foundation came into ownership of the artwork; the Stern family's ownership of the masterpiece from several years; and the reality that the Third Reich confiscated the artwork from the family, forced the Sterns into disposing of it via a trustee, and took the money of the transaction.

Earlier Lawsuits

The family submitted a comparable case in the state of California in recently, but it was thrown out in 2024. An further action was also dismissed in spring 2025.

The Met's Position

The legal action argues that the Met's purchase of the artwork was authorized by the museum's expert, 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 knew or should have known that the masterpiece had probably been seized by the Nazis.

The Met issued a statement that it takes seriously its longstanding commitment to resolve Nazi-era claims.

A representative commented: Not once during the institution's custody of the piece was there any documentation that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – in fact, that information did not become known until several decades after the artwork left the Met's possession.

The institution's deaccessioning of the Van Gogh met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – namely, it was noted that the work was judged to be of inferior standard than other pieces of the comparable nature in the inventory. Although The Met upholds its position that this artwork entered the holdings and was removed lawfully and well within all standards and procedures, the Met invites and will examine any further evidence that comes to light.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel on behalf of BEG commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a esteemed foundation in the Greek capital. The effort to sue and smear the organization and the Goulandris family in the United States upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, twice. We are convinced it will be again.