New York's Met Museum Confronts Lawsuit Over Allegedly Nazi-Looted Van Gogh Painting

The descendants of a Jewish spouses have initiated legal proceedings against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was stolen by Nazi forces.

Historical Background

According to the legal filing, the Stern couple purchased the painting, titled Olive Harvest, in 1935. A year after, they were compelled to leave their residence in Munich, Germany prior to the Second World War.

The complaint contends that the museum, which obtained the painting in 1956 for a significant sum, should have known it was almost certainly confiscated property. The descendants are now requesting the restitution of the painting along with damages.

In the decades since WWII, this plundered piece has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, purchased and sold in and through NYC, states the legal filing.

The Sterns' Escape

The Sterns escaped from their Munich home to California in the late 1930s with their six children due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were prevented from taking the Van Gogh piece, which was produced by the celebrated artist in the late 19th century.

Prior to their departure, the Nazi government classified the artwork as a German cultural asset and banned the couple from exporting it. Following authorization from a Nazi official, a trustee appointed by the Nazis disposed of the piece on the Sterns' behalf. However, the proceeds from the sale were deposited in a blocked account, which the Nazis later took.

Subsequent Ownership

In 1948, or not long after, the canvas arrived in New York and was purchased by a prominent figure, one of America's wealthiest people. Eventually, it was sold through a art dealer to the institution, which then passed it on to prominent shipowner Goulandris and his wife, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

The Greek couple established the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a gallery in the Greek capital where the masterpiece is currently shown.

Legal Arguments

The foundation and a living relative of the magnate are listed as respondents. The legal action claims that the family and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the masterpiece's history and whereabouts from the family.

Currently, the Goulandris Defendants continue to conceal how and when the foundation came into possession of the Painting; the family's possession of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the truth that the Third Reich looted the Painting from the family, pressured the Sterns into parting with it via a regime representative, and took the funds of the deal.

Earlier Lawsuits

The Stern heirs initiated a similar complaint in CA in the year 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An further action was also dismissed in May 2025.

Museum's Response

The lawsuit states that the museum's acquisition of the piece was sanctioned by a curator, the institution's specialist of European paintings and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi-era looted art. The institution and its expert knew or should have known that the Painting had likely been looted by Nazis.

The Met said in a statement that it is committed to its historical dedication to resolve Nazi-era claims.

An official stated: At no time during the museum's possession of the piece was there any documentation that it had earlier been possessed to the heirs – in fact, that data did not become available until a long time after the painting left the Museum's collection.

The institution's deaccessioning of Olive Picking met the Met's guidelines for deaccessioning – namely, it was recorded that the artwork was considered to be of lower caliber than other works of the comparable nature in the holdings. While the museum upholds its view that this artwork entered the holdings and was deaccessioned legally and well within all standards and procedures, the institution welcomes and will consider any new information that emerges.

Foundation's Defense

A lawyer acting for BEG stated: The institution is a renowned institution in Athens. The attempt to litigate and defame the organization and the family in the America upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, multiple times. We are convinced it will be once more.