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The heirs of a Jewish couple have brought a case against New York's Metropolitan Museum, alleging that a the Dutch artist oil painting was stolen by the Nazis.

Historical Background

According to the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern acquired the artwork, titled Gathering Olives, in the mid-1930s. A year after, they were obliged to escape their residence in Munich just before WWII.

The legal action contends that the institution, which acquired the painting in the mid-1950s for a significant sum, should have known it was almost certainly looted property. The descendants are now requesting the repatriation of the canvas along with financial restitution.

Following the war, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, purchased and sold in and through New York, alleges the lawsuit.

Family's Flight

The Sterns escaped from the city of Munich to California in 1936 with their offspring due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Yet, they were unable to bring the painting, which was produced by the celebrated artist in 1889.

Before they left, Nazi authorities declared the painting as a German cultural asset and forbade the family from exporting it. Following authorization from a regime representative, a trustee appointed by the Nazis sold the painting on the family's behalf. But, the proceeds from the auction were held in a restricted account, which the Nazis later took.

Subsequent Ownership

By 1948, or soon after, the painting entered New York and was bought by Vincent Astor, a member of the Astor family. Subsequently, it was sold through a commercial outlet to the Met, which then passed it on to wealthy Greek businessman Basil Goulandris and his partner, Mrs. Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a gallery in Athens where the painting is currently shown.

Legal Arguments

BEG and a living relative of the magnate are identified in the suit. The legal action alleges that the Goulandris family and its affiliates have hidden and obscured the painting's ownership and current place from the heirs.

To this day, the foundation continue to hide how and when the institution came into control of the artwork; the Stern family's ownership of the Painting from the mid-1930s; and the truth that the Third Reich confiscated the Painting from the family, forced the family into disposing of it via a trustee, and confiscated the proceeds of the transaction.

Earlier Lawsuits

The descendants filed a related lawsuit in CA in the year 2022, but it was dismissed in 2024. An legal challenge was also rejected in spring 2025.

The Met's Position

The complaint argues that the institution's buying of the painting was approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the Met's authority of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi art looting. Rousseau and the Met must have known that the masterpiece had almost certainly been seized by the Nazis.

The museum responded that it takes seriously its longstanding commitment to handle issues related to WWII.

A spokesperson remarked: Not once during The Met's ownership of the piece was there any record that it had earlier been possessed to the Stern family – actually, that knowledge did not become known until several decades after the masterpiece left the Museum's collection.

The institution's deaccessioning of Olive Picking met the museum's strict criteria for disposal – namely, it was noted that the piece was judged to be of lower caliber than other works of the similar kind in the collection. Although the institution upholds its view that this work entered the collection and was sold legally and well within all rules and regulations, the Met welcomes and will consider any further evidence that is discovered.

BEG's Response

William Charron acting for the foundation said: The institution is a renowned institution in Greece. The action to sue and smear the organization and the family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, twice. We are confident it will be a third time.