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The family members of a Jewish pair have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, alleging that a the Dutch artist oil painting was looted by the Third Reich.

Origins of the Dispute

According to the legal filing, the Stern couple bought the piece, titled Olive Picking, in 1935. Just one year later, they were forced to flee their dwelling in Munich on the eve of the Second World War.

The complaint argues that the institution, which obtained the painting in the mid-1950s for a significant sum, should have known it was almost certainly stolen property. The heirs are now demanding the repatriation of the canvas along with financial restitution.

Since the end of WWII, this stolen artwork has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, purchased and sold in and through NYC, alleges the court document.

Forced Emigration

The Stern family fled from Munich to America in 1936 with their offspring due to persecution by the Nazis. However, they were unable to bring the painting, which was produced by the renowned Dutch in the late 19th century.

Before the family's emigration, the regime declared the artwork as property of the state and banned the family from taking it abroad. Once approved from a Nazi official, a trustee assigned by the authorities sold the painting on the Sterns' behalf. Yet, the funds from the sale were placed in a blocked account, which the Nazis later took.

Later Transactions

In 1948, or shortly after, the artwork was brought to the United States and was bought by a wealthy American, a member of the Astor family. Eventually, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the Met, which then sold it to wealthy Greek businessman Basil Goulandris and his wife, Elise, in 1972.

The Greek couple founded the BEG in 1979, which operates a gallery in the Greek capital where the masterpiece is currently on display.

Court Allegations

BEG and a surviving nephew of Basil Goulandris are identified in the suit. The legal action alleges that the family and its affiliates have concealed and disguised the painting's ownership and location from the plaintiffs.

Even now, the foundation continue to hide how and when the BEG came into control of the Painting; the couple's ownership of the artwork from the mid-1930s; and the facts that the Nazis confiscated the Painting from the Stern family, pressured the Sterns into disposing of it via a Nazi-appointed agent, and took the money of the deal.

Prior Cases

The Stern heirs filed a comparable case in California in 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An legal challenge was also rejected in May 2025.

Institution's Statement

The lawsuit contends that the Met's purchase of the piece was approved by the museum's expert, the museum's curator of Old Masters and a leading authority on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum were aware or ought to have been aware that the artwork had probably been stolen by the Nazis.

The institution said in a statement that it is committed to its longstanding commitment to handle Nazi-era claims.

A spokesperson commented: Never during the institution's custody of the artwork was there any evidence that it had previously been owned to the Stern family – indeed, that data did not become accessible until many years after the artwork left the institution's holdings.

The institution's deaccessioning of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for disposal – namely, it was noted that the work was deemed to be of lower caliber than additional artworks of the same type in the inventory. Although the institution respectfully stands by its view that this piece entered the inventory and was sold properly and well within all standards and procedures, the museum is open to and will review any new information that comes to light.

Foundation's Defense

A lawyer acting for BEG commented: The institution is a renowned institution in Athens. The effort to litigate and defame the institution and the family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, twice. We are confident it will be once more.