🔗 Share this article

The family members of a Jewish pair have brought a case against New York's Metropolitan Museum, asserting that a Vincent van Gogh canvas was looted by the Nazis.

Case History

As stated in the lawsuit, the Stern couple bought the painting, titled Olive Picking, in the year 1935. The following year, they were obliged to escape their residence in Munich, Germany prior to World War II.

The complaint states that the museum, which obtained the painting in 1956 for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, should have known it was almost certainly stolen property. The family are now seeking the restitution of the artwork along with damages.

Following WWII, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, purchased and sold in and through the city of New York, states the court document.

The Sterns' Escape

The Stern family escaped from the city of Munich to America in the late 1930s with their offspring due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Yet, they were unable to bring the painting, which was produced by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Before the family's emigration, Nazi authorities declared the painting as a German cultural asset and banned the family from bringing it with them. After obtaining permission from a Third Reich agent, a trustee designated by the regime sold the piece on the family's behalf. But, the funds from the sale were deposited in a restricted account, which the regime later took.

Later Transactions

Around 1948, or soon after, the artwork was brought to New York and was acquired by Vincent Astor, a member of the Astor family. Subsequently, it was sold through a gallery to the museum, which then sold it to prominent shipowner the magnate and his wife, Elise, in 1972.

Basil and Elise established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which operates a institution in Athens where the artwork is currently shown.

Claims and Defenses

The institution and a living relative of the magnate are listed as respondents. The lawsuit claims that the defendants and its related entities have hidden and obscured the artwork's provenance and current place from the plaintiffs.

Currently, the Goulandris Defendants continue to conceal the circumstances the institution came into control of the Painting; the family's possession of the artwork from several years; and the reality that the Nazis stole the canvas from the family, coerced the Sterns into disposing of it via a regime representative, and seized the funds of the transaction.

Earlier Lawsuits

The descendants initiated a related lawsuit in the state of California in the year 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An appeal was also rejected in May 2025.

Institution's Statement

The lawsuit contends that the museum's acquisition of the painting was approved by the museum's expert, the Met's authority of European art and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi-era looted art. The institution and its expert must have known that the Painting had almost certainly been seized by Nazis.

The Met responded that it takes seriously its ongoing pledge to resolve Nazi-era claims.

An official commented: Never during The Met's ownership of the artwork was there any evidence that it had once belonged to the family – actually, that knowledge did not become available until several decades after the masterpiece left the Met's possession.

The museum's disposal of the Van Gogh met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – namely, it was recorded that the piece was judged to be of inferior standard than additional artworks of the same type in the inventory. Although The Met maintains its stance that this piece entered the inventory and was sold properly and well within all standards and procedures, the Met welcomes and will consider any further evidence that comes to light.

BEG's Response

William Charron representing BEG commented: The institution is a renowned institution in the Greek capital. The effort to sue and smear the institution and the defendants in the America upon inaccurate and partial claims was already thrown out, twice. We are convinced it will be again.