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The family members of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, asserting that a the Dutch artist canvas was looted by Nazi forces.

Historical Background

As stated in the lawsuit, Hedwig and Frederick Stern acquired the artwork, titled Gathering Olives, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were compelled to leave their dwelling in Munich, Germany prior to WWII.

The suit contends that the Met, which obtained the artwork in 1956 for a significant sum, should have known it was probably looted property. The family are now seeking the restitution of the canvas along with compensation.

Following World War II, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through New York, states the court document.

The Sterns' Escape

Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped from their Munich home to America in the late 1930s with their six children due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Yet, they were barred from transporting the Van Gogh piece, which was produced by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Prior to their departure, the regime classified the painting as a German cultural asset and prohibited the Sterns from exporting it. Once approved from a Nazi official, a trustee appointed by the authorities sold the artwork on the Sterns' behalf. But, the money from the auction were held in a frozen account, which the Nazis later seized.

Later Transactions

Around 1948, or shortly after, the canvas was brought to the United States and was purchased by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Eventually, it was exchanged through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then transferred it to wealthy Greek businessman the magnate and his partner, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.

Basil and Elise founded the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a gallery in the Greek capital where the artwork is currently exhibited.

Claims and Defenses

The institution and a surviving nephew of Basil Goulandris are identified in the suit. The filing states that the defendants and its associated organizations have covered up the artwork's provenance and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

Even now, the foundation continue to conceal how and when the BEG came into control of the artwork; the Stern family's ownership of the Painting from several years; and the truth that the Third Reich confiscated the canvas from the heirs, pressured the family into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and took the funds of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The Stern heirs submitted a comparable case in the state of California in 2022, but it was rejected in the following years. An legal challenge was also dismissed in spring 2025.

Museum's Response

The lawsuit contends that the institution's buying of the artwork was sanctioned by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the Met's authority of Old Masters and a renowned specialist on art theft during the Nazi era. The institution and its expert were aware or ought to have been aware that the artwork had probably been looted by the regime.

The institution issued a statement that it takes seriously its historical dedication to handle issues related to WWII.

An official commented: Not once during the museum's possession of the painting was there any record that it had earlier been possessed to the Stern family – actually, that knowledge did not become accessible until a long time after the artwork left the Museum's collection.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the Met's guidelines for disposal – specifically, it was documented that the work was deemed to be of lesser quality than additional artworks of the same type in the holdings. Although the museum maintains its stance that this artwork entered the holdings and was sold lawfully and well within all guidelines and policies, the Met welcomes and will consider any new information that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

A lawyer acting for the foundation stated: The institution is a renowned institution in Athens. The effort to sue and smear the organization and the Goulandris family in the United States upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was earlier rejected, multiple times. We are certain it will be a third time.