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The heirs of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, asserting that a the Dutch artist canvas was seized by Nazi forces.

Historical Background

According to the court documents, the Stern couple bought the piece, titled Olive Picking, in the mid-1930s. Just one year later, they were compelled to leave their home in the German city of Munich on the eve of WWII.

The complaint argues that the institution, which purchased the masterpiece in the mid-1950s for a significant sum, must have realized it was almost certainly confiscated property. The heirs are now requesting the repatriation of the canvas along with compensation.

Since the end of World War II, this Nazi-looted painting has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, purchased and sold in and through NYC, claims the legal filing.

Forced Emigration

The Stern family escaped from Munich to the United States in 1936 with their offspring due to persecution by the Nazis. Yet, they were prevented from taking the artwork, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Prior to their departure, Nazi authorities declared the masterpiece as German cultural property and forbade the couple from exporting it. After obtaining permission from a regime representative, a trustee designated by the regime auctioned the piece on the Sterns' behalf. But, the money from the auction were held in a frozen account, which the regime later confiscated.

Later Transactions

By 1948, or soon after, the artwork arrived in the United States and was acquired by a wealthy American, a member of the Astor family. Subsequently, it was transferred through a commercial outlet to the Met, which then sold it to wealthy Greek businessman Goulandris and his partner, Mrs. Goulandris, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair founded the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a institution in the Greek capital where the artwork is currently shown.

Claims and Defenses

The institution and a living relative of the magnate are listed as respondents. The lawsuit alleges that the family and its affiliates have covered up the painting's ownership and current place from the family.

Even now, the defendants continue to conceal the manner and time the BEG came into possession of the Painting; the Stern family's ownership of the masterpiece from the mid-1930s; and the reality that the regime confiscated the canvas from the Stern family, coerced the couple into parting with it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and took the money of the sale.

Previous Legal Action

The family initiated a comparable case in California in 2022, but it was thrown out in 2024. An legal challenge was also denied in May 2025.

The Met's Position

The lawsuit contends that the Met's purchase of the piece was authorized by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the museum's curator of Old Masters and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi art looting. The curator and the museum were aware or ought to have been aware that the Painting had almost certainly been stolen by the regime.

The museum issued a statement that it is committed to its longstanding commitment to resolve issues related to WWII.

A representative commented: Not once during The Met's ownership of the artwork was there any record that it had once belonged to the heirs – indeed, that knowledge did not become known until a long time after the masterpiece left the Museum's collection.

The museum's disposal of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – specifically, it was noted that the work was deemed to be of lesser quality than additional artworks of the similar kind in the inventory. Although The Met upholds its position that this artwork entered the holdings and was removed legally and well within all rules and regulations, the institution invites and will examine any further evidence that comes to light.

Goulandris Statement

William Charron representing the Goulandris Foundation commented: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in the Greek capital. The effort to take legal action against the Foundation and the Goulandris family in the US upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was already thrown out, multiple times. We are certain it will be a third time.