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The descendants of a Jewish couple have filed a lawsuit against The Met, claiming that a the Dutch artist art piece was seized by the Third Reich.

Origins of the Dispute

According to the court documents, Frederick and Hedwig Stern purchased the painting, titled Olive Harvest, in the mid-1930s. The following year, they were obliged to escape their dwelling in the German city of Munich prior to World War II.

The complaint states that the museum, which purchased the masterpiece in the mid-1950s for a significant sum, should have known it was probably confiscated property. The family are now seeking the return of the painting along with compensation.

Following World War II, this plundered piece has been often and discreetly exchanged, bought and sold in and through NYC, states the court document.

Family's Flight

The Stern family departed from the city of Munich to the United States in 1936 with their six children due to the oppressive Nazi regime. However, they were unable to bring the artwork, which was produced by the renowned Dutch in 1889.

Before the family's emigration, Nazi authorities declared the masterpiece as property of the state and forbade the family from bringing it with them. Once approved from a Nazi official, a trustee designated by the regime sold the piece on the Sterns' behalf. But, the money from the transaction were placed in a frozen account, which the regime later confiscated.

Later Transactions

Around 1948, or soon after, the painting entered NYC and was purchased by Vincent Astor, one of America's wealthiest people. Later, it was transferred through a art dealer to the institution, which then sold it to wealthy Greek businessman Basil Goulandris and his wife, Elise, in 1972.

Basil and Elise established the BEG in the late 1970s, which manages a museum in the Greek capital where the painting is currently exhibited.

Claims and Defenses

The institution and a family member of the magnate are named as defendants. The legal action alleges that the family and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the masterpiece's history and current place from the family.

Even now, the Goulandris Defendants continue to conceal the circumstances the BEG came into possession of the artwork; the family's possession of the artwork from several years; and the facts that the Nazis confiscated the Painting from the Stern family, forced the Sterns into selling it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and took the proceeds of the sale.

Previous Legal Action

The Stern heirs filed a similar complaint in California in recently, but it was thrown out in the following years. An appeal was also dismissed in spring 2025.

Museum's Response

The legal action contends that the institution's buying of the piece was authorized by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the museum's curator of European art and a leading authority on Nazi art looting. The curator and the museum must have known that the artwork had likely been looted by Nazis.

The institution said in a statement that it takes seriously its ongoing pledge to resolve issues related to WWII.

A representative commented: At no time during the museum's possession of the artwork was there any record that it had once belonged to the family – indeed, that knowledge did not become accessible until a long time after the artwork left the Met's possession.

The museum's disposal of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for disposal – namely, it was recorded that the artwork was considered to be of lower caliber than additional artworks of the similar kind in the inventory. While the institution respectfully stands by its view that this piece entered the collection and was sold properly and well within all rules and regulations, the institution invites and will examine any additional details that comes to light.

Foundation's Defense

A lawyer acting for the Goulandris Foundation stated: The institution is a renowned institution in Greece. The effort to sue and smear the institution and the family in the United States upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, on two occasions. We are confident it will be once more.