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The heirs of a Jewish pair have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, claiming that a the Dutch artist canvas was looted by the Third Reich.

Historical Background

Per the legal filing, Frederick and Hedwig Stern bought the painting, titled Olive Picking, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were compelled to leave their home in Munich, Germany just before World War II.

The suit states that the Met, which obtained the painting in the mid-1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, ought to have been aware it was almost certainly looted property. The family are now seeking the restitution of the canvas along with financial restitution.

Following World War II, this Nazi-looted painting has been frequently and covertly traded, bought and sold in and through New York, states the legal filing.

Family's Flight

The Sterns escaped from their Munich home to America in the late 1930s with their large family due to Nazi persecution. Nevertheless, they were unable to bring the artwork, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Before they left, the Nazi government declared the artwork as German cultural property and forbade the couple from exporting it. Once approved from a Nazi official, a trustee appointed by the Nazis auctioned the artwork on the family's behalf. But, the funds from the sale were held in a blocked account, which the regime later took.

Subsequent Ownership

By 1948, or not long after, the painting was brought to New York and was bought by Vincent Astor, one of America's wealthiest people. Eventually, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the Met, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate Goulandris and his partner, Elise, in the early 1970s.

Basil and Elise established the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a museum in Athens where the artwork is currently shown.

Legal Arguments

The foundation and a family member of Basil Goulandris are named as defendants. The legal action states that the family and its associated organizations have covered up the artwork's provenance and whereabouts from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to conceal how and when the foundation came into control of the Painting; the couple's ownership of the masterpiece from several years; and the facts that the Third Reich looted the Painting from the Stern family, forced the couple into parting with it via a trustee, and confiscated the proceeds of the sale.

Prior Cases

The family submitted a similar complaint in California in the year 2022, but it was rejected in the following years. An further action was also denied in May 2025.

Institution's Statement

The lawsuit contends that the museum's acquisition of the piece was authorized by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the Met's authority of European art and a renowned specialist on Nazi art looting. The curator and the museum were aware or ought to have been aware that the masterpiece had likely been looted by the regime.

The Met responded that it takes seriously its ongoing pledge to resolve claims from the Nazi period.

A spokesperson stated: Never during the museum's possession of the piece was there any documentation that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – in fact, that information did not become known until many years after the masterpiece left the Museum's collection.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the museum's strict criteria for removal from collection – in particular, it was noted that the work was considered to be of lower caliber than additional artworks of the similar kind in the inventory. Although the museum maintains its view that this work entered the inventory and was sold lawfully and well within all standards and procedures, the institution invites and will examine any new information that is discovered.

BEG's Response

A lawyer acting for BEG commented: The institution is a highly prestigious organization in Athens. The action to sue and smear the Foundation and the Goulandris family in the America upon inaccurate and partial claims was previously dismissed, on two occasions. We are certain it will be a third time.