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The family members of a Jewish spouses have filed a lawsuit against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, asserting that a Van Gogh art piece was looted by Nazi forces.

Case History

Per the lawsuit, the Stern couple purchased the piece, titled Gathering Olives, in 1935. A year after, they were forced to flee their dwelling in Munich, Germany on the eve of WWII.

The suit contends that the Met, which obtained the painting in 1956 for a significant sum, should have known it was likely confiscated property. The heirs are now requesting the return of the painting along with compensation.

In the decades since World War II, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, purchased and sold in and through NYC, states the legal filing.

Family's Flight

The Sterns escaped from their Munich home to California in 1936 with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. Nevertheless, they were prevented from taking the Van Gogh piece, which was painted by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Prior to their departure, the regime declared the painting as a German cultural asset and banned the couple from taking it abroad. Following authorization from a Third Reich agent, a agent appointed by the Nazis sold the piece on the family's behalf. But, the money from the sale were deposited in a restricted account, which the regime later confiscated.

Post-War History

In 1948, or soon after, the painting entered the United States and was purchased by a prominent figure, a member of the Astor family. Later, it was exchanged through a gallery to the Met, which then passed it on to prominent shipowner the magnate and his spouse, Elise, in 1972.

The Greek couple established the BEG in 1979, which runs a gallery in Athens, Greece where the painting is currently shown.

Claims and Defenses

BEG and a surviving nephew of the magnate are identified in the suit. The lawsuit states that the defendants and its associated organizations have concealed and disguised the painting's ownership and whereabouts from the family.

Even now, the defendants continue to hide how and when the institution came into possession of the Painting; the couple's ownership of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the facts that the regime looted the canvas from the Stern family, forced the Sterns into disposing of it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and took the proceeds of the deal.

Previous Legal Action

The Stern heirs initiated a similar complaint in California in the year 2022, but it was thrown out in 2024. An further action was also rejected in spring 2025.

Institution's Statement

The legal action argues that the museum's acquisition of the piece was authorized by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the museum's curator of European paintings and a renowned specialist on Nazi art looting. The curator and the museum must have known that the artwork had almost certainly been seized by the Nazis.

The Met said in a statement that it is committed to its ongoing pledge to address issues related to WWII.

An official remarked: At no time during the museum's possession of the piece was there any documentation that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – in fact, that knowledge did not become known until many years after the artwork left the Museum's collection.

The Met's sale of Olive Picking met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – in particular, it was recorded that the artwork was considered to be of lesser quality than other works of the comparable nature in the holdings. While The Met respectfully stands by its view that this piece entered the holdings and was deaccessioned lawfully and well within all guidelines and policies, the museum is open to and will review any further evidence that emerges.

BEG's Response

Legal counsel acting for the Goulandris Foundation said: The institution is a renowned institution in the Greek capital. The attempt to take legal action against the institution and the Goulandris family in the United States upon inaccurate and partial claims was already thrown out, twice. We are certain it will be once more.