The heirs of a Jewish spouses have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, claiming that a Van Gogh oil painting was seized by Nazi forces.
Historical Background
Per the legal filing, the Stern couple bought the artwork, titled Gathering Olives, in 1935. The following year, they were obliged to escape their home in the German city of Munich just before World War II.
The complaint contends that the Met, which purchased the painting in the mid-1950s for $125,000, ought to have been aware it was probably stolen property. The descendants are now seeking the return of the artwork along with financial restitution.
In the decades since the war, this plundered piece has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, bought and sold in and through the city of New York, states the legal filing.
Family's Flight
The Stern family fled from Munich to America in 1936 with their offspring due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Nevertheless, they were unable to bring the painting, which was produced by the renowned Dutch in 1889.
Prior to their departure, the Nazi government designated the masterpiece as German cultural property and banned the Sterns from taking it abroad. After obtaining permission from a Nazi official, a representative designated by the authorities disposed of the artwork on the Sterns' behalf. However, the proceeds from the sale were placed in a restricted account, which the authorities later confiscated.
Post-War History
In 1948, or shortly after, the artwork was brought to New York and was purchased by Vincent Astor, a member of the Astor family. Eventually, it was sold through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then transferred it to Greek shipping magnate Goulandris and his wife, Elise, in 1972.
The Goulandris pair founded the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which operates a institution in Athens, Greece where the artwork is currently exhibited.
Court Allegations
The foundation and a surviving nephew of Goulandris are identified in the suit. The lawsuit states that the family and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the artwork's provenance and location from the heirs.
Even now, the Goulandris Defendants continue to hide the circumstances the foundation came into possession of the piece; the family's possession of the Painting from the mid-1930s; and the reality that the Third Reich looted the artwork from the Stern family, coerced the Sterns into disposing of it via a regime representative, and seized the funds of the deal.
Prior Cases
The descendants initiated a comparable case in California in 2022, but it was rejected in 2024. An appeal was also denied in spring 2025.
Museum's Response
The lawsuit argues that the museum's acquisition of the piece was authorized by the museum's expert, the museum's curator of Old Masters and a renowned specialist on Nazi-era looted art. The institution and its expert knew or should have known that the masterpiece had probably been looted by Nazis.
The institution responded that it is committed to its historical dedication to address Nazi-era claims.
A representative commented: At no time during The Met's ownership of the painting was there any record that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – in fact, that information did not become known until several decades after the masterpiece left the Met's possession.
The Met's sale of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – specifically, it was documented that the artwork was considered to be of inferior standard than other pieces of the same type in the holdings. Although the museum maintains its position that this piece entered the inventory and was sold lawfully and well within all standards and procedures, the institution is open to and will review any additional details that emerges.
Goulandris Statement
A lawyer representing the Goulandris Foundation said: The Goulandris Foundation is a renowned institution in the Greek capital. The effort to litigate and defame the Foundation and the family in the United States upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was earlier rejected, twice. We are confident it will be a third time.
