🔗 Share this article

The family members of a Jewish couple have filed a lawsuit against The Met, asserting that a Van Gogh art piece was looted by Nazi forces.

Case History

As stated in the court documents, the Stern couple bought the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in 1935. A year after, they were obliged to escape their residence in Munich on the eve of WWII.

The complaint argues that the Met, which acquired the painting in 1956 for a significant sum, should have known it was probably stolen property. The family are now seeking the return of the canvas along with damages.

Following WWII, this stolen artwork has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, acquired and disposed of in and through New York, alleges the legal filing.

The Sterns' Escape

The Stern family departed from the city of Munich to California in the late 1930s with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. Yet, they were unable to bring the artwork, which was produced by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Prior to their departure, Nazi authorities declared the painting as German cultural property and prohibited the couple from exporting it. Following authorization from a regime representative, a representative assigned by the authorities auctioned the artwork on the Sterns' behalf. Yet, the money from the auction were placed in a frozen account, which the authorities later seized.

Later Transactions

Around 1948, or shortly after, the painting was brought to the United States and was acquired by a prominent figure, a member of the Astor family. Subsequently, it was exchanged through a commercial outlet to the institution, which then passed it on to Greek shipping magnate the magnate and his wife, Mrs. Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise set up the BEG in the late 1970s, which operates a gallery in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently shown.

Legal Arguments

BEG and a living relative of Basil Goulandris are listed as respondents. The filing states that the defendants and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the painting's ownership and current place from the family.

Even now, the Goulandris Defendants continue to obscure the manner and time the foundation came into control of the artwork; the couple's ownership of the Painting from several years; and the reality that the Nazis stole the canvas from the family, forced the Sterns into disposing of it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the money of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The Stern heirs filed a comparable case in the state of California in recently, but it was dismissed in 2024. An appeal was also dismissed in May 2025.

Institution's Statement

The complaint argues that the museum's acquisition of the painting was sanctioned by the museum's expert, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi-era looted art. Rousseau and the Met were aware or ought to have been aware that the artwork had likely been seized by the regime.

The Met issued a statement that it is committed to its historical dedication to handle issues related to WWII.

An official remarked: Not once during the institution's custody of the artwork was there any record that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – in fact, that information did not become known until a long time after the painting left the institution's holdings.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – namely, it was noted that the piece was considered to be of lesser quality than additional artworks of the same type in the collection. Although the museum respectfully stands by its position that this artwork entered the inventory and was removed lawfully and well within all guidelines and policies, the institution is open to and will review any additional details that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

A lawyer acting for the foundation said: The institution is a renowned institution in Athens. The effort to take legal action against the Foundation and the Goulandris family in the America upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, twice. We are convinced it will be again.