🔗 Share this article New York's Met Museum Responds to Legal Challenge Over Supposedly Nazi-Looted Van Gogh Masterpiece The descendants of a Jewish pair have initiated legal proceedings against New York's Metropolitan Museum, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh oil painting was seized by the Nazis. Origins of the Dispute Per the legal filing, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the painting, titled Gathering Olives, in 1935. Just one year later, they were obliged to escape their residence in Munich prior to the Second World War. The complaint contends that the Met, which obtained the painting in 1956 for $125,000, ought to have been aware it was likely stolen property. The family are now seeking the restitution of the canvas along with damages. Since the end of WWII, this plundered piece has been often and discreetly exchanged, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, states the court document. Family's Flight Hedwig and Frederick Stern escaped from the city of Munich to California in 1936 with their six children due to the oppressive Nazi regime. However, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was created by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889. Before the family's emigration, Nazi authorities declared the artwork as a German cultural asset and prohibited the Sterns from taking it abroad. Following authorization from a Nazi official, a trustee assigned by the regime sold the piece on the couple's behalf. However, the funds from the transaction were held in a restricted account, which the Nazis later seized. Post-War History Around 1948, or shortly after, the artwork was brought to New York and was bought by Vincent Astor, among the richest individuals in the US. Subsequently, it was sold through a gallery to the institution, which then sold it to wealthy Greek businessman Basil Goulandris and his wife, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972. The Greek couple set up the Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which manages a gallery in Athens where the artwork is currently exhibited. Legal Arguments The institution and a living relative of the magnate are listed as respondents. The filing claims that the Goulandris family and its related entities have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and whereabouts from the plaintiffs. Currently, the Goulandris Defendants continue to obscure the manner and time the BEG came into control of the piece; the Stern family's ownership of the artwork from the mid-1930s; and the facts that the Nazis confiscated the artwork from the family, coerced the family into disposing of it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and took the money 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 2024. An appeal was also rejected in May 2025. The Met's Position The complaint contends that the Met's purchase of the artwork was sanctioned by the museum's expert, the museum's curator of European paintings and one of the world's foremost experts on art theft during the Nazi era. The curator and the museum were aware or ought to have been aware that the masterpiece had almost certainly been looted by Nazis. The museum responded that it prioritizes its ongoing pledge to handle claims from the Nazi period. A representative stated: At no time during the institution's custody of the painting was there any record that it had once belonged to the family – in fact, that knowledge did not become accessible until many years after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings. The museum's disposal of Olive Picking met the Met's guidelines for disposal – specifically, it was noted that the work was deemed to be of lesser quality than additional artworks of the similar kind in the holdings. Although The Met maintains its stance that this artwork entered the holdings and was deaccessioned properly and well within all guidelines and policies, the institution is open to and will review any additional details that is discovered. BEG's Response Legal counsel acting for the foundation said: The institution is a highly prestigious organization in the Greek capital. The effort to litigate and defame the Foundation and the family in the America upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was previously dismissed, twice. We are certain it will be once more.