🔗 Share this article Metropolitan Museum Responds to Legal Action Over Reportedly Nazi-Looted Van Gogh Painting The heirs of a Jewish spouses have filed a lawsuit against The Met, asserting that a the Dutch artist oil painting was seized by the Nazis. Case History According to the legal filing, the Stern couple bought the piece, titled Gathering Olives, in the year 1935. The following year, they were compelled to leave their residence in Munich, Germany on the eve of the Second World War. The complaint argues that the Met, which acquired the artwork in 1956 for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, ought to have been aware it was likely looted property. The heirs are now requesting the restitution of the artwork along with damages. In the decades since WWII, this stolen artwork has been repeatedly and secretly trafficked, bought and sold in and through New York, states the legal filing. Family's Flight The Stern family escaped from their Munich home to America in the late 1930s with their offspring due to Nazi persecution. Yet, they were unable to bring the artwork, which was produced by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889. Before they left, Nazi authorities designated the painting as a German cultural asset and banned the family from exporting it. Once approved from a Nazi official, a trustee designated by the regime disposed of the piece on the family's behalf. But, the proceeds from the sale were deposited in a frozen account, which the Nazis later seized. Later Transactions By 1948, or soon after, the canvas arrived in NYC and was purchased by a wealthy American, one of America's wealthiest people. Eventually, it was transferred through a art dealer to the Met, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate Basil Goulandris and his spouse, Mrs. Goulandris, in the early 1970s. The Goulandris pair founded the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which operates a gallery in Athens where the painting is currently exhibited. Court Allegations BEG and a surviving nephew of Basil Goulandris are named as defendants. The lawsuit states that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have covered up the masterpiece's history and current place from the family. To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to hide the manner and time the BEG came into possession of the Painting; the family's possession of the artwork from several years; and the truth that the Third Reich stole the artwork from the family, forced the couple into disposing of it via a regime representative, and confiscated the money of the transaction. Prior Cases The descendants initiated a related lawsuit in CA in 2022, but it was rejected in 2024. An further action was also dismissed in spring 2025. Institution's Statement The lawsuit argues that the institution's buying of the painting was approved by the museum's expert, the institution's specialist of Old Masters and a renowned specialist on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the masterpiece had almost certainly been seized by the Nazis. The museum issued a statement that it takes seriously its longstanding commitment to resolve issues related to WWII. A representative remarked: At no time during the museum's possession of the piece was there any documentation that it had earlier been possessed to the family – in fact, that information did not become available until a long time after the masterpiece left the institution's holdings. The Met's sale of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for disposal – in particular, it was noted that the piece was judged to be of lesser quality than other pieces of the similar kind in the inventory. While the institution respectfully stands by its view that this work entered the holdings and was deaccessioned properly and well within all guidelines and policies, the museum invites and will examine any additional details that is discovered. BEG's Response A lawyer representing BEG said: The Goulandris Foundation is a esteemed foundation in Athens. The effort to litigate and defame the organization and the Goulandris family in the US upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, twice. We are convinced it will be again.