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The family members of a Jewish couple have brought a case against New York's Metropolitan Museum, alleging that a the Dutch artist art piece was looted by the Third Reich.

Origins of the Dispute

According to the court documents, Hedwig and Frederick Stern bought the painting, titled Olive Harvest, in 1935. The following year, they were forced to flee their home in the German city of Munich on the eve of the Second World War.

The complaint states that the Met, which obtained the painting in 1956 for $125,000, should have known it was likely confiscated property. The descendants are now demanding the repatriation of the painting along with compensation.

Since the end of the war, this Nazi-looted painting has been often and discreetly exchanged, acquired and disposed of in and through New York, claims the court document.

The Sterns' Escape

The Sterns fled from the city of Munich to California in 1936 with their offspring due to the oppressive Nazi regime. However, they were unable to bring the painting, which was created by the celebrated artist in the late 19th century.

Before they left, Nazi authorities classified the painting as a German cultural asset and forbade the family from exporting it. Once approved from a Third Reich agent, a trustee appointed by the regime sold the painting on the couple's behalf. However, the proceeds from the transaction were deposited in a restricted account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Later Transactions

In 1948, or not long after, the painting arrived in New York and was purchased by Vincent Astor, one of America's wealthiest people. Later, it was transferred through a gallery to the Met, which then sold it to prominent shipowner Goulandris and his wife, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which runs a gallery in Athens where the masterpiece is currently exhibited.

Legal Arguments

The institution and a family member of Basil Goulandris are named as defendants. The filing states that the Goulandris family and its related entities have concealed and disguised the painting's ownership and current place from the family.

Even now, the foundation continue to hide the manner and time the BEG came into control of the artwork; the couple's ownership of the Painting from 1935 to 1938; and the reality that the Third Reich stole the artwork from the Stern family, coerced the family into selling it via a regime representative, and took the proceeds of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The Stern heirs filed a similar complaint in California in the year 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An further action was also dismissed in spring 2025.

Institution's Statement

The complaint contends that the Met's purchase of the piece was approved by the museum's expert, the museum's curator of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on art theft during the Nazi era. The institution and its expert knew or should have known that the masterpiece had probably been stolen by the Nazis.

The Met issued a statement that it prioritizes its longstanding commitment to handle Nazi-era claims.

An official commented: Not once during The Met's ownership of the artwork was there any record that it had previously been owned to the family – actually, that knowledge did not become accessible until several decades after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings.

The Met's sale of Olive Picking met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – in particular, it was noted that the work was judged to be of inferior standard than additional artworks of the same type in the inventory. While The Met upholds its view that this work entered the holdings and was removed properly and well within all rules and regulations, the Met invites and will examine any new information that emerges.

Goulandris Statement

Legal counsel acting for the foundation commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a renowned institution in Greece. The effort to take legal action against the organization and the defendants in the America upon inaccurate and partial claims was earlier rejected, on two occasions. We are confident it will be once more.