🔗 Share this article New York's Met Museum Responds to Legal Challenge Over Supposedly Nazi-Plundered Van Gogh Masterpiece The descendants of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against The Metropolitan Museum of Art, claiming that a the Dutch artist canvas was looted by the Nazis. Origins of the Dispute Per the legal filing, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the piece, titled Olive Picking, in 1935. A year after, they were compelled to leave their residence in Munich prior to World War II. The suit argues that the institution, which purchased the painting in the mid-1950s for $125,000, must have realized it was probably stolen property. The heirs are now demanding the restitution of the painting along with financial restitution. In the decades since World War II, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through New York, alleges the legal filing. The Sterns' Escape The Sterns escaped from Munich to California in 1936 with their offspring due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were barred from transporting the painting, which was produced by the renowned Dutch in 1889. Prior to their departure, Nazi authorities designated the masterpiece as a German cultural asset and forbade the couple from taking it abroad. Once approved from a regime representative, a agent designated by the Nazis sold the painting on the Sterns' behalf. Yet, the proceeds from the auction were held in a blocked account, which the authorities later seized. Later Transactions By 1948, or soon after, the canvas was brought to NYC and was purchased by Vincent Astor, among the richest individuals in the US. Later, it was exchanged through a commercial outlet to the institution, which then passed it on to wealthy Greek businessman the magnate and his wife, Mrs. Goulandris, in the early 1970s. The Goulandris pair established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which operates a museum in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently on display. Legal Arguments The institution and a surviving nephew of the magnate are named as defendants. The legal action claims that the family and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and location from the plaintiffs. To this day, the defendants continue to hide the circumstances the foundation came into possession of the artwork; the couple's ownership of the Painting from 1935 to 1938; and the truth that the Nazis confiscated the Painting from the Stern family, coerced the couple into disposing of it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the funds of the transaction. Earlier Lawsuits The descendants initiated a similar complaint in CA in the year 2022, but it was rejected in the following years. An appeal was also dismissed in spring 2025. The Met's Position The complaint argues that the institution's buying of the piece was authorized by a curator, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and a leading authority 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 issued a statement that it is committed to its longstanding commitment to resolve Nazi-era claims. A spokesperson stated: Not once during the institution's custody of the artwork was there any evidence that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – in fact, that knowledge did not become known until several decades after the painting left the Met's possession. The Met's sale of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – in particular, it was documented that the piece was deemed to be of lower caliber than additional artworks of the similar kind in the holdings. Although the museum respectfully stands by its position that this artwork entered the inventory and was removed properly and well within all rules and regulations, the Met is open to and will review any additional details that emerges. Foundation's Defense William Charron acting for the Goulandris Foundation commented: BEG is a renowned institution in Athens. The attempt to take legal action against the Foundation and the Goulandris family in the US upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was earlier rejected, multiple times. We are certain it will be again.