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The family members of a Jewish pair have brought a case against New York's Metropolitan Museum, asserting that a the Dutch artist art piece was seized by Nazi forces.

Historical Background

As stated in the lawsuit, Frederick and Hedwig Stern bought the artwork, titled Olive Harvest, in 1935. The following year, they were forced to flee their residence in the German city of Munich prior to World War II.

The legal action argues that the museum, which obtained the masterpiece in the 1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, must have realized it was almost certainly looted property. The family are now requesting the return of the painting along with financial restitution.

In the decades since World War II, this Nazi-looted painting has been often and discreetly exchanged, bought and sold in and through New York, claims the lawsuit.

The Sterns' Escape

Hedwig and Frederick Stern departed from their Munich home to the United States in 1936 with their large family due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Yet, they were prevented from taking the painting, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.

Before they left, the regime declared the masterpiece as German cultural property and banned the Sterns from exporting it. Once approved from a Third Reich agent, a representative appointed by the regime auctioned the piece on the couple's behalf. However, the money from the transaction were deposited in a blocked account, which the Nazis later took.

Subsequent Ownership

Around 1948, or not long after, the painting arrived in New York and was bought by Vincent Astor, a member of the Astor family. Subsequently, it was transferred through a commercial outlet to the institution, which then sold it to Greek shipping magnate the magnate and his partner, Elise, in 1972.

Basil and Elise established the BEG in the late 1970s, which runs a institution in Athens, Greece where the painting is currently on display.

Legal Arguments

The foundation and a family member of the magnate are identified in the suit. The lawsuit states that the family and its associated organizations have covered up the painting's ownership and current place from the family.

Even now, the defendants continue to hide the manner and time the foundation came into ownership of the artwork; the Stern family's ownership of the artwork from 1935 to 1938; and the truth that the Third Reich looted the Painting from the heirs, forced the couple into parting with it via a trustee, and took the funds of the deal.

Earlier Lawsuits

The descendants filed a related lawsuit in CA in recently, but it was dismissed in 2024. An legal challenge was also rejected in May 2025.

The Met's Position

The complaint states that the Met's purchase of the artwork was approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the museum's curator of Old Masters and a renowned specialist on Nazi-era looted art. The institution and its expert must have known that the artwork had probably been seized by the regime.

The institution responded that it prioritizes its longstanding commitment to resolve issues related to WWII.

An official stated: At no time during The Met's ownership of the artwork was there any documentation that it had once belonged to the Stern family – actually, that data did not become available until many years after the masterpiece left the Met's possession.

The museum's disposal of the artwork met the institution's rigorous standards for deaccessioning – in particular, it was documented that the piece was deemed to be of lower caliber than additional artworks of the comparable nature in the holdings. While The Met maintains its stance that this artwork entered the inventory and was sold properly and well within all rules and regulations, the Met welcomes and will consider any new information that comes to light.

Foundation's Defense

Legal counsel acting for the foundation said: BEG is a esteemed foundation in the Greek capital. The effort to sue and smear the institution and the family in the United States upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was already thrown out, multiple times. We are convinced it will be a third time.