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The heirs of a Jewish pair have initiated legal proceedings against New York's Metropolitan Museum, asserting that a the Dutch artist canvas was stolen by the Third Reich.

Origins of the Dispute

As stated in the court documents, the Stern couple purchased the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in 1935. The following year, they were obliged to escape their dwelling in the German city of Munich on the eve of WWII.

The complaint states that the Met, which purchased the masterpiece in the mid-1950s for $125,000, should have known it was almost certainly confiscated property. The heirs are now seeking the restitution of the painting along with financial restitution.

In the decades since the war, this Nazi-looted painting has been often and discreetly exchanged, purchased and sold in and through New York, claims the legal filing.

The Sterns' Escape

The Stern family departed from Munich to America in 1936 with their large family due to Nazi persecution. Yet, they were unable to bring the painting, which was painted by the celebrated artist in 1889.

Before the family's emigration, the regime declared the artwork as property of the state and banned the Sterns from taking it abroad. After obtaining permission from a Third Reich agent, a agent assigned by the authorities disposed of the artwork on the family's behalf. But, the proceeds from the sale were held in a blocked account, which the Nazis later seized.

Subsequent Ownership

In 1948, or soon after, the canvas was brought to the United States and was acquired by a wealthy American, one of America's wealthiest people. Later, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the museum, which then passed it on to wealthy Greek businessman the magnate and his partner, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise set up the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which operates a museum in Athens, Greece where the masterpiece is currently shown.

Court Allegations

The foundation and a family member of Basil Goulandris are listed as respondents. The lawsuit alleges that the family and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and location from the plaintiffs.

Currently, the Goulandris Defendants continue to hide the circumstances the BEG came into ownership of the artwork; the Stern family's ownership of the masterpiece from the mid-1930s; and the reality that the regime stole the canvas from the Stern family, forced the family into disposing of it via a trustee, and confiscated the funds of the sale.

Previous Legal Action

The descendants initiated a comparable case in California in recently, but it was rejected in 2024. An appeal was also rejected in May 2025.

Institution's Statement

The legal action contends that the museum's acquisition of the artwork was authorized by a curator, the museum's curator of European paintings and a leading authority on Nazi-era looted art. Rousseau and the Met knew or should have known that the artwork had likely been looted by the Nazis.

The museum issued a statement that it takes seriously its historical dedication to resolve issues related to WWII.

A spokesperson commented: At no time during the museum's possession of the painting was there any record that it had earlier been possessed to the Stern family – actually, that knowledge did not become known until a long time after the artwork left the Museum's collection.

The museum's disposal of the Van Gogh met the Met's guidelines for disposal – specifically, it was recorded that the work was considered to be of lesser quality than other works of the same type in the collection. Even though The Met maintains its view that this piece entered the inventory and was sold legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the Met is open to and will review any further evidence that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

William Charron on behalf of BEG stated: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in Athens. The attempt to take legal action against the institution and the family in the America upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, multiple times. We are convinced it will be again.