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The heirs of a Jewish couple have brought a case against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, claiming that a the Dutch artist art piece was seized by the Nazis.

Origins of the Dispute

According to the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern purchased the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in the mid-1930s. A year after, they were obliged to escape their dwelling in Munich, Germany just before WWII.

The complaint states that the museum, which obtained the artwork in the 1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, should have known it was probably confiscated property. The heirs are now seeking the restitution of the painting along with compensation.

In the decades since the war, this Nazi-looted painting has been often and discreetly exchanged, acquired and disposed of in and through NYC, alleges the lawsuit.

The Sterns' Escape

The Sterns departed from Munich to America in 1936 with their six children due to Nazi persecution. However, they were unable to bring the Van Gogh piece, which was produced by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Prior to their departure, the Nazi government designated the masterpiece as German cultural property and prohibited the Sterns from bringing it with them. Following authorization from a Nazi official, a agent assigned by the regime sold the piece on the Sterns' behalf. But, the money from the transaction were placed in a blocked account, which the regime later seized.

Later Transactions

In 1948, or not long after, the painting arrived in the United States and was acquired by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Subsequently, it was transferred through a commercial outlet to the institution, which then sold it to wealthy Greek businessman Basil Goulandris and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair set up the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a museum in the Greek capital where the masterpiece is currently shown.

Court Allegations

The institution and a surviving nephew of the magnate are named as defendants. The lawsuit states that the family and its related entities have concealed and disguised the painting's ownership and current place from the family.

To this day, the defendants continue to hide the manner and time the foundation came into possession of the piece; the couple's ownership of the Painting from the mid-1930s; and the truth that the regime stole the Painting from the heirs, coerced the family into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the funds of the deal.

Prior Cases

The descendants filed a similar complaint in California in recently, but it was dismissed in 2024. An further action was also denied in May 2025.

The Met's Position

The legal action argues that the Met's purchase 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 must have known that the Painting had likely been stolen by the Nazis.

The Met said in a statement that it prioritizes its ongoing pledge to address Nazi-era claims.

A representative remarked: Not once during the institution's custody of the artwork was there any documentation that it had previously been owned to the family – actually, that information did not become known until a long time after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings.

The Met's sale of Olive Picking met the Met's guidelines for deaccessioning – specifically, it was documented that the piece was deemed to be of lower caliber than other pieces of the same type in the collection. Even though the institution respectfully stands by its view that this piece entered the inventory and was removed properly and well within all guidelines and policies, the museum is open to and will review any further evidence that is discovered.

Foundation's Defense

A lawyer representing the Goulandris Foundation stated: BEG is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The action to take legal action against the Foundation and the defendants in the America upon inaccurate and partial claims was already thrown out, on two occasions. We are certain it will be once more.