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The heirs of a Jewish pair have brought a case against The Met, claiming that a the Dutch artist art piece was looted by Nazi forces.

Case History

As stated in the court documents, Hedwig and Frederick Stern acquired the piece, titled Olive Harvest, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were obliged to escape their home in Munich, Germany just before the Second World War.

The suit argues that the Met, which purchased the painting in the 1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, should have known it was probably confiscated property. The family are now requesting the repatriation of the painting along with compensation.

In the decades since World War II, this stolen artwork has been frequently and covertly traded, acquired and disposed of in and through NYC, claims the legal filing.

Family's Flight

The Sterns escaped from the city of Munich to the United States in 1936 with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. Yet, they were unable to bring the artwork, which was painted by the celebrated artist in 1889.

Before they left, the regime classified the painting as German cultural property and forbade the couple from taking it abroad. Once approved from a Nazi official, a agent designated by the regime disposed of the piece on the Sterns' behalf. However, the proceeds from the sale were deposited in a restricted account, which the Nazis later confiscated.

Later Transactions

Around 1948, or shortly after, the painting arrived in the United States and was acquired by a wealthy American, among the richest individuals in the US. Subsequently, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the museum, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate Basil Goulandris and his partner, Elise, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair founded the BEG in 1979, which runs a institution in Athens where the masterpiece is currently on display.

Claims and Defenses

BEG and a living relative of the magnate are named as defendants. The filing states that the defendants and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and location from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the foundation continue to obscure the manner and time the BEG came into possession of the artwork; the Stern family's ownership of the masterpiece from 1935 to 1938; and the truth that the Third Reich looted the Painting from the family, forced the couple into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and confiscated the money of the transaction.

Previous Legal Action

The family submitted a comparable case in the state of California in recently, but it was dismissed in 2024. An legal challenge was also denied in spring 2025.

Institution's Statement

The legal action argues that the museum's acquisition of the painting was approved by the museum's expert, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and a leading authority on Nazi art looting. Rousseau and the Met knew or should have known that the artwork had probably been seized by the regime.

The institution said in a statement that it prioritizes its ongoing pledge to handle claims from the Nazi period.

A spokesperson stated: At no time during The Met's ownership of the piece was there any documentation that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – actually, that data did not become accessible until several decades after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings.

The institution's deaccessioning of Olive Picking met the museum's strict criteria for deaccessioning – in particular, it was noted that the piece was deemed to be of lesser quality than other pieces of the same type in the holdings. Although the institution respectfully stands by its view that this work entered the collection and was sold legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the Met invites and will examine any further evidence that is discovered.

Goulandris Statement

A lawyer representing BEG said: The institution is a highly prestigious organization in Greece. The attempt to sue and smear the institution and the Goulandris family in the America upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was previously dismissed, multiple times. We are convinced it will be once more.