🔗 Share this article New York's Met Museum Confronts Legal Action Over Allegedly Nazi-Looted Van Gogh Masterpiece The heirs of a Jewish pair have brought a case against The Met, asserting that a Van Gogh art piece was seized by the Nazis. Case History As stated in the legal filing, Hedwig and Frederick Stern bought the artwork, titled Gathering Olives, in the year 1935. The following year, they were obliged to escape their residence in the German city of Munich on the eve of the Second World War. The complaint argues that the Met, which purchased the painting in the 1950s for $125,000, must have realized it was probably stolen property. The heirs are now requesting the restitution of the artwork along with compensation. Since the end of WWII, this plundered piece has been frequently and covertly traded, acquired and disposed of in and through New York, states the lawsuit. The Sterns' Escape The Sterns fled from their Munich home to America in 1936 with their large family due to persecution by the Nazis. Yet, they were unable to bring the painting, which was created by the renowned Dutch in 1889. Before they left, the Nazi government classified the painting as German cultural property and banned the family from bringing it with them. After obtaining permission from a Third Reich agent, a representative appointed by the authorities auctioned the piece on the Sterns' behalf. Yet, the proceeds from the auction were placed in a restricted account, which the authorities later took. Later Transactions By 1948, or not long after, the painting was brought to the United States and was purchased by a wealthy American, one of America's wealthiest people. Subsequently, it was sold through a commercial outlet to the institution, which then transferred it to Greek shipping magnate Basil Goulandris and his spouse, Elise, in the early 1970s. The Greek couple founded the BEG in 1979, which operates a museum in Athens, Greece where the artwork is currently shown. Claims and Defenses The institution and a living relative of Basil Goulandris are named as defendants. The lawsuit states that the family and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the masterpiece's history and whereabouts from the family. Even now, the defendants continue to obscure how and when the foundation came into ownership of the artwork; the couple's ownership of the Painting from the mid-1930s; and the truth that the Nazis confiscated the artwork from the Stern family, forced the couple into parting with it via a regime representative, and confiscated the money of the deal. Previous Legal Action The Stern heirs initiated a related lawsuit in the state of California in the year 2022, but it was rejected in 2024. An further action was also denied in May 2025. Museum's Response The complaint argues that the Met's purchase of the artwork was authorized by the museum's expert, the Met's authority of Old Masters and a leading authority on art theft during the Nazi era. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the Painting had probably been stolen by the Nazis. The institution issued a statement that it prioritizes its ongoing pledge to handle issues related to WWII. An official commented: Not once during the museum's possession of the piece was there any record that it had previously been owned to the family – actually, that data did not become available until several decades after the masterpiece left the Museum's collection. The Met's sale of the Van Gogh met the institution's rigorous standards for disposal – in particular, it was noted that the work was considered to be of lesser quality than other pieces of the similar kind in the inventory. Although The Met upholds its view that this artwork entered the inventory and was removed properly and well within all rules and regulations, the institution is open to and will review any new information that is discovered. Goulandris Statement Legal counsel on behalf of BEG commented: The institution is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The attempt to take legal action against the Foundation and the defendants in the United States upon inaccurate and partial claims was earlier rejected, multiple times. We are confident it will be once more.