Met Museum Embroiled in Nazi-Looted Van Gogh Painting Dispute with Heirs of Jewish Couple
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) is facing a lawsuit from the heirs of a Jewish couple who claim that a Vincent van Gogh oil painting, "Olive Picking," was looted by the Nazis during World War II. The artwork, purchased by the Met in 1956 for $125,000, has been on display at the Greek shipping magnate Basil Goulandris's foundation museum in Athens since 1972.
The lawsuit alleges that the painting was acquired by the Stern family, who fled Munich in 1936 after Nazi persecution. The Nazis had declared the painting "German cultural property" and prohibited the Sterns from taking it abroad. A trustee appointed by the Nazis sold the painting on their behalf, but the proceeds were deposited into a blocked account, which was later confiscated.
The Met's purchase of the painting is said to have been approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr., the museum's curator of European paintings, who allegedly knew or should have known that the artwork had probably been looted. The Stern family's heirs claim that the Met "knew, or should have known" about the painting's illicit history.
In 2022, a similar complaint was filed in California but was dismissed in 2024, with an appeal also being rejected in May. The lawsuit seeks the return of the painting and damages from the Met, the Goulandris family, and their foundation.
The Met has stated that it "takes seriously its commitment to address Nazi-era claims" and welcomes any new information that may come to light. However, a lawyer representing the Goulandris Foundation has dismissed the lawsuit as an attempt to "smear" the foundation and the Goulandris family.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) is facing a lawsuit from the heirs of a Jewish couple who claim that a Vincent van Gogh oil painting, "Olive Picking," was looted by the Nazis during World War II. The artwork, purchased by the Met in 1956 for $125,000, has been on display at the Greek shipping magnate Basil Goulandris's foundation museum in Athens since 1972.
The lawsuit alleges that the painting was acquired by the Stern family, who fled Munich in 1936 after Nazi persecution. The Nazis had declared the painting "German cultural property" and prohibited the Sterns from taking it abroad. A trustee appointed by the Nazis sold the painting on their behalf, but the proceeds were deposited into a blocked account, which was later confiscated.
The Met's purchase of the painting is said to have been approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr., the museum's curator of European paintings, who allegedly knew or should have known that the artwork had probably been looted. The Stern family's heirs claim that the Met "knew, or should have known" about the painting's illicit history.
In 2022, a similar complaint was filed in California but was dismissed in 2024, with an appeal also being rejected in May. The lawsuit seeks the return of the painting and damages from the Met, the Goulandris family, and their foundation.
The Met has stated that it "takes seriously its commitment to address Nazi-era claims" and welcomes any new information that may come to light. However, a lawyer representing the Goulandris Foundation has dismissed the lawsuit as an attempt to "smear" the foundation and the Goulandris family.
This whole thing is so messed up. I mean, who knew what was going on back then? 
The Met should've done their research before buying it from the Sterns' estate, you feel? 
125k in 1956 seems like a steal now that we know what happened. 
The painting's been living large for decades while the Stern family's heirs have been fighting to get it back. It's not just about the money, though – it's about the history and the people who were affected by it. 
I wish they could just sort this out and give the painting back where it belongs. 
the Met is dealing with this one again? I mean, it's crazy that there's still so many art pieces out there with questionable histories like this. The Stern family's heirs are really fighting for justice here 
and I can see why they'd want the painting back. It's gotta be tough to know your family's stuff was just stolen by Nazis during WWII 
.
The Met's deal with this painting is super sketchy. If they did know it was looted and still brought it in, that's some pretty bad taste. I mean, what if other people's art got taken too? It's like they're saying "oh, we didn't know" but really they just don't wanna deal with the drama. And the Goulandris family is all like "we're being smeared", but isn't that because you guys might be hiding something? 
... I mean like what's up with museums just keeping these looted artworks for their own gain? It's not right! The Met should know that owning a painting with such a dark history is wrong, but to act all innocent and dismissive like they did in the Stern family's case... it's not good. 
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. But at the same time, I feel bad for Basil Goulandris and his foundation - they've had this painting on display for ages, and it's become a part of their museum's collection 
... but then again, if the Met knew or should have known that the painting was looted, they shouldn't be displaying it either 
. I wish there was a clear-cut solution to this problem 
- I don't want to see anyone get screwed out of their art history, but at the same time, the Goulandris family can't just keep holding onto it forever 
... ugh, my head is spinning 
!
, fingers crossed they take responsibility for what happened... and can we talk about how ridiculous it is that someone tried to "smear" the Goulandris family and foundation with a baseless lawsuit?! 
.
. The fact that the painting has been on display for so long and no one thought twice about it is just crazy 
. I'm not surprised they're getting sued, though - if you know something's fishy, you gotta speak up. The Met needs to be more transparent about their art collection and where it came from 
but I think it's awesome that the Stern family's heirs are speaking out about this painting's history! It's like, we gotta acknowledge our past mistakes and learn from them, right? 
