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The descendants of a Jewish couple have initiated legal proceedings against New York's Metropolitan Museum, asserting that a the Dutch artist art piece was stolen by the Third Reich.

Origins of the Dispute

According to the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern purchased the artwork, titled Gathering Olives, in the mid-1930s. Just one year later, they were compelled to leave their home in Munich, Germany just before WWII.

The suit states that the museum, which acquired the masterpiece in 1956 for $125,000, ought to have been aware it was almost certainly stolen property. The family are now requesting the return of the canvas along with compensation.

In the decades since WWII, this plundered piece has been frequently and covertly traded, purchased and sold in and through the city of New York, alleges the court document.

Forced Emigration

Hedwig and Frederick Stern departed from the city of Munich to the United States in the late 1930s with their large family due to the oppressive Nazi regime. However, they were unable to bring the painting, which was created by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century.

Before they left, the regime declared the artwork as German cultural property and prohibited the couple from taking it abroad. After obtaining permission from a Third Reich agent, a trustee assigned by the authorities disposed of the painting on the Sterns' behalf. But, the proceeds from the sale were placed in a blocked account, which the Nazis later seized.

Subsequent Ownership

In 1948, or not long after, the painting arrived in the United States and was acquired by a prominent figure, a member of the Astor family. Later, it was exchanged through a commercial outlet to the museum, which then transferred it to wealthy Greek businessman the magnate and his wife, Elise Goulandris, in the early 1970s.

The Goulandris pair established the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a museum in Athens where the artwork is currently shown.

Legal Arguments

The foundation and a surviving nephew of Goulandris are identified in the suit. The legal action states that the Goulandris family and its affiliates have hidden and obscured the artwork's provenance and current place from the heirs.

Currently, the defendants continue to hide how and when the BEG came into control of the piece; the couple's ownership of the Painting from the mid-1930s; and the facts that the Nazis looted the artwork from the Stern family, forced the couple into disposing of it via a trustee, and confiscated the funds of the deal.

Previous Legal Action

The Stern heirs initiated a similar complaint in CA in recently, but it was thrown out in the following years. An further action was also rejected in May 2025.

The Met's Position

The lawsuit argues that the museum's acquisition of the piece was authorized by the museum's expert, the museum's curator of European paintings and a leading authority on art theft during the Nazi era. The curator and the museum must have known that the Painting had likely been looted by Nazis.

The museum responded that it takes seriously its longstanding commitment to handle Nazi-era claims.

A spokesperson commented: Never during the institution's custody of the painting was there any record that it had once belonged to the heirs – indeed, that knowledge did not become known until several decades after the artwork left the Met's possession.

The Met's sale of the artwork met the Met's guidelines for deaccessioning – specifically, it was noted that the piece was considered to be of inferior standard than additional artworks of the comparable nature in the holdings. Even though The Met respectfully stands by its view that this artwork entered the holdings and was deaccessioned legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the institution is open to and will review any additional details that emerges.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel acting for the foundation stated: The Goulandris Foundation is a esteemed foundation in Athens. The attempt to take legal action against the institution and the family in the United States upon deceptive and insufficient accusations was previously dismissed, twice. We are confident it will be again.