🔗 Share this article New York's Met Museum Confronts Lawsuit Over Reportedly Nazi-Looted Van Gogh Artwork The heirs of a Jewish pair have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was seized by Nazi forces. Origins of the Dispute As stated in the legal filing, Hedwig and Frederick Stern bought the piece, titled Olive Harvest, in the year 1935. The following year, they were compelled to leave their home in the German city of Munich on the eve of WWII. The complaint argues that the Met, which purchased the masterpiece in the mid-1950s for a significant sum, must have realized it was almost certainly stolen property. The descendants are now seeking the repatriation of the painting along with compensation. In the decades since World War II, this plundered piece has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, acquired and disposed of in and through the city of New York, claims the legal filing. Family's Flight The Sterns escaped from Munich to America in 1936 with their offspring due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Nevertheless, they were barred from transporting the Van Gogh piece, which was produced by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889. Before they left, the Nazi government designated the artwork as a German cultural asset and forbade the couple from exporting it. Following authorization from a Nazi official, a agent designated by the regime disposed of the painting on the Sterns' behalf. Yet, the proceeds from the sale were deposited in a restricted account, which the authorities later seized. Subsequent Ownership In 1948, or soon after, the painting entered New York and was bought by Vincent Astor, one of America's wealthiest people. Subsequently, it was exchanged through a gallery to the museum, which then passed it on to prominent shipowner Basil Goulandris and his partner, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972. Basil and Elise founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a museum in the Greek capital where the painting is currently on display. Claims and Defenses BEG and a living relative of Goulandris are identified in the suit. The lawsuit claims that the defendants and its related entities have hidden and obscured the masterpiece's history and whereabouts from the plaintiffs. Currently, the defendants continue to hide how and when the BEG came into possession of the Painting; the family's possession of the artwork from several years; and the facts that the Third Reich confiscated the canvas from the Stern family, forced the family into parting with it via a trustee, and confiscated the funds of the transaction. Earlier Lawsuits The Stern heirs initiated a similar complaint in California in recently, but it was rejected in 2024. An legal challenge was also dismissed in spring 2025. Museum's Response The legal action argues that the museum's acquisition of the painting was approved by the museum's expert, the museum's curator of Old Masters and a renowned specialist on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum must have known that the Painting had almost certainly been stolen by Nazis. The Met issued a statement that it is committed to its ongoing pledge to address claims from the Nazi period. A representative commented: Never during The Met's ownership of the piece was there any record that it had previously been owned to the heirs – in fact, that knowledge did not become accessible until several decades after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings. The museum's disposal of the Van Gogh met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – in particular, it was recorded that the artwork was deemed to be of inferior standard than other works of the comparable nature in the inventory. Even though the museum upholds its position that this artwork entered the holdings and was sold legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the museum invites and will examine any new information that is discovered. Foundation's Defense William Charron representing the Goulandris Foundation stated: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The effort to take legal action against the institution and the Goulandris family in the United States upon inaccurate and partial claims was earlier rejected, twice. We are convinced it will be once more.