🔗 Share this article Metropolitan Museum Faces Lawsuit Over Allegedly Nazi-Plundered Van Gogh Artwork The family members of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, alleging that a the Dutch artist oil painting was stolen by Nazi forces. Case History Per the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern purchased the piece, titled Olive Harvest, in the year 1935. A year after, they were obliged to escape their home in Munich on the eve of World War II. The legal action argues that the Met, which purchased the artwork in 1956 for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, ought to have been aware it was almost certainly stolen property. The descendants are now demanding the restitution of the painting along with financial restitution. Following World War II, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through NYC, states the legal filing. The Sterns' Escape Hedwig and Frederick Stern fled from the city of Munich to America in 1936 with their offspring due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Yet, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century. Before they left, Nazi authorities classified the masterpiece as a German cultural asset and prohibited the family from bringing it with them. Once approved from a Third Reich agent, a representative assigned by the regime auctioned the piece on the Sterns' behalf. However, the funds from the sale were deposited in a blocked account, which the Nazis later took. Later Transactions In 1948, or not long after, the painting was brought to NYC and was bought by a wealthy American, one of America's wealthiest people. Subsequently, it was exchanged through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then passed it on to Greek shipping magnate Goulandris and his partner, Elise, in 1972. The Greek couple set up the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a institution in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently shown. Claims and Defenses BEG and a family member of Goulandris are named as defendants. The lawsuit claims that the family and its related entities have concealed and disguised the artwork's provenance and whereabouts from the plaintiffs. To this day, the defendants continue to conceal how and when the institution came into ownership of the piece; the family's possession of the artwork from several years; and the truth that the Third Reich confiscated the canvas from the heirs, coerced the couple into disposing of it via a regime representative, and seized the funds of the transaction. Previous Legal Action The family filed a related lawsuit in CA in the year 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An legal challenge was also rejected in May 2025. Museum's Response The complaint states that the Met's purchase of the painting was authorized by the museum's expert, the institution's specialist of European paintings and a renowned specialist on art theft during the Nazi era. The curator and the museum were aware or ought to have been aware that the Painting had likely been seized by the Nazis. The institution responded that it takes seriously its ongoing pledge to handle claims from the Nazi period. A spokesperson stated: Never during The Met's ownership of the painting was there any evidence that it had once belonged to the family – indeed, that information did not become known until a long time after the artwork left the Met's possession. The museum's disposal of the Van Gogh met the institution's rigorous standards for disposal – in particular, it was documented that the piece was considered to be of lesser quality than other pieces of the comparable nature in the holdings. Even though The Met maintains its view that this artwork entered the collection and was removed properly and well within all rules and regulations, the institution invites and will examine any new information that emerges. Goulandris Statement A lawyer on behalf of the Goulandris Foundation said: The institution is a esteemed foundation in Athens. The effort to litigate and defame the Foundation and the Goulandris family in the United States upon inaccurate and partial claims was earlier rejected, on two occasions. We are convinced it will be again.