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The heirs of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against New York's Metropolitan Museum, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh canvas was seized by Nazi forces.

Origins of the Dispute

Per the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern bought the piece, titled Olive Harvest, in the year 1935. Just one year later, they were obliged to escape their home in Munich prior to World War II.

The legal action argues that the Met, which obtained the artwork in the 1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, should have known it was likely stolen property. The heirs are now seeking the repatriation of the canvas along with financial restitution.

Since the end of WWII, this plundered piece has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, purchased and sold in and through the city of New York, claims the court document.

The Sterns' Escape

The Stern family fled from Munich to the United States in the late 1930s with their large family due to the oppressive Nazi regime. However, they were unable to bring the Van Gogh piece, which was created by the celebrated artist in the late 19th century.

Before the family's emigration, Nazi authorities designated the painting as property of the state and banned the family from taking it abroad. Following authorization from a regime representative, a agent appointed by the regime disposed of the piece on the couple's behalf. Yet, the proceeds from the auction were placed in a frozen account, which the regime later seized.

Post-War History

Around 1948, or soon after, the artwork arrived in the United States and was acquired by Vincent Astor, one of America's wealthiest people. Later, it was sold through a gallery to the Met, which then passed it on to prominent shipowner the magnate and his spouse, Elise, in 1972.

The Greek couple established the BEG in 1979, which operates a gallery in Athens where the painting is currently exhibited.

Court Allegations

The foundation and a family member of the magnate are identified in the suit. The filing alleges that the defendants and its affiliates have covered up the painting's ownership and location from the heirs.

Currently, the defendants continue to conceal how and when the foundation came into control of the piece; the couple's ownership of the artwork from several years; and the facts that the Third Reich looted the Painting from the family, forced the couple into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the proceeds of the deal.

Previous Legal Action

The family submitted a similar complaint in CA in 2022, but it was thrown out in 2024. An legal challenge was also rejected in May 2025.

Institution's Statement

The lawsuit states that the museum's acquisition of the painting was authorized by the museum's expert, the Met's authority of European paintings and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi-era looted art. The institution and its expert were aware or ought to have been aware that the masterpiece had likely been looted by the regime.

The museum said in a statement that it prioritizes its longstanding commitment to handle claims from the Nazi period.

A spokesperson commented: Never during The Met's ownership of the artwork was there any documentation that it had previously been owned to the heirs – actually, that data did not become known until a long time after the artwork left the Met's possession.

The institution's deaccessioning of the artwork met the museum's strict criteria for deaccessioning – specifically, it was documented that the work was judged to be of inferior standard than other pieces of the similar kind in the holdings. Although the museum respectfully stands by its view that this artwork entered the inventory and was removed legally and well within all rules and regulations, the institution welcomes and will consider any new information that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

A lawyer acting for the Goulandris Foundation stated: BEG is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The effort to sue and smear the Foundation and the family in the America upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, on two occasions. We are confident it will be again.