MAYSOON KHAN
Fri, December 15, 2023
This March 2007 photo shows a bronze sculpture titled "Standing Shiva" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The sculpture is one of 16 pieces of artwork that the museum said it will return to Cambodia and Thailand that federal prosecutors say were tied to an art dealer and collector accused of running a huge antiquities trafficking network out of Southeast Asia.
(Metropolitan Museum of Art via AP)
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art said Friday that it will return more than a dozen pieces of ancient artwork to Cambodia and Thailand after they were tied to an art dealer and collector accused of running a huge antiquities trafficking network out of Southeast Asia.
This most recent repatriation of artwork comes as many museums in the U.S. and Europe reckon with collections that contain objects looted from Asia, Africa and other places during centuries of colonialism or in times of upheaval.
Fourteen Khmer sculptures will be returned to Cambodia and two will be returned to Thailand, according to the Manhattan museum.
The repatriation of the ancient pieces was linked to well-known art dealer Douglas Latchford, who was indicted in 2019 for allegedly orchestrating a multiyear scheme to sell looted Cambodian antiquities on the international art market. Latchford, who died the following year, had denied any involvement in smuggling.
The museum initially cooperated with the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan and the New York office of Homeland Security Investigations on the return of 13 sculptures tied to Latchford before determining there were three more that should be repatriated.
“As demonstrated with today’s announcement, pieces linked to the investigation of Douglas Latchford continue to reveal themselves," HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan said in a statement Friday. “The Metropolitan Museum of Art has not only recognized the significance of these 13 Khmer artifacts, which were shamelessly stolen, but has also volunteered to return them, as part of their ongoing cooperation, to their rightful owners: the People of Cambodia.”
This isn’t the first time the museum has repatriated art linked to Latchford. In 2013, it returned two objects to Cambodia.
The Latchford family also had a load of centuries-old Cambodian jewelry in their possession that they later returned to Cambodia. In February, 77 pieces of jewelry made of gold and other precious metal pieces, including items such as crowns, necklaces and earrings were returned to their homeland. Other stone and bronze artifacts were returned in September 2021.
The latest works being returned from the Metropolitan Museum of Art were made between the ninth and 14th centuries in the Angkorian period and reflect the Hindu and Buddhist religious systems prominent during that time, according to the museum.
Angkor in the ninth to the 15th centuries was a powerful kingdom in the area of present-day Cambodia. Tourists can see relics of that past at the Angkor Wat temple complex in the country's northwest.
Among the pieces being returned include a bronze sculpture called “The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Seated in Royal Ease” made some time between the late 10th century and early 11th century. Another piece of art, made of stone in the seventh century and named “Head of Buddha" will also be returned. Those pieces are part of 10 that can still be viewed in the museum's galleries while arrangements are being made for their return.
There is no specific timeline for when the pieces will be returned, the museum said.
Research efforts have already been underway by the museum to examine the ownership history of its objects, focusing on the provenance of Nazi-looted artwork that changed hands in Germany-occupied Europe.
Another focus of the museum's research includes ancient art and cultural property — specifically how the objects were discovered and subsequently changed hands.
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Khan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Metropolitan Museum of Art to return stolen sculptures to Cambodia, Thailand
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art said Friday that it will return more than a dozen pieces of ancient artwork to Cambodia and Thailand after they were tied to an art dealer and collector accused of running a huge antiquities trafficking network out of Southeast Asia.
This most recent repatriation of artwork comes as many museums in the U.S. and Europe reckon with collections that contain objects looted from Asia, Africa and other places during centuries of colonialism or in times of upheaval.
Fourteen Khmer sculptures will be returned to Cambodia and two will be returned to Thailand, according to the Manhattan museum.
The repatriation of the ancient pieces was linked to well-known art dealer Douglas Latchford, who was indicted in 2019 for allegedly orchestrating a multiyear scheme to sell looted Cambodian antiquities on the international art market. Latchford, who died the following year, had denied any involvement in smuggling.
The museum initially cooperated with the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan and the New York office of Homeland Security Investigations on the return of 13 sculptures tied to Latchford before determining there were three more that should be repatriated.
“As demonstrated with today’s announcement, pieces linked to the investigation of Douglas Latchford continue to reveal themselves," HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan said in a statement Friday. “The Metropolitan Museum of Art has not only recognized the significance of these 13 Khmer artifacts, which were shamelessly stolen, but has also volunteered to return them, as part of their ongoing cooperation, to their rightful owners: the People of Cambodia.”
This isn’t the first time the museum has repatriated art linked to Latchford. In 2013, it returned two objects to Cambodia.
The Latchford family also had a load of centuries-old Cambodian jewelry in their possession that they later returned to Cambodia. In February, 77 pieces of jewelry made of gold and other precious metal pieces, including items such as crowns, necklaces and earrings were returned to their homeland. Other stone and bronze artifacts were returned in September 2021.
The latest works being returned from the Metropolitan Museum of Art were made between the ninth and 14th centuries in the Angkorian period and reflect the Hindu and Buddhist religious systems prominent during that time, according to the museum.
Angkor in the ninth to the 15th centuries was a powerful kingdom in the area of present-day Cambodia. Tourists can see relics of that past at the Angkor Wat temple complex in the country's northwest.
Among the pieces being returned include a bronze sculpture called “The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Seated in Royal Ease” made some time between the late 10th century and early 11th century. Another piece of art, made of stone in the seventh century and named “Head of Buddha" will also be returned. Those pieces are part of 10 that can still be viewed in the museum's galleries while arrangements are being made for their return.
There is no specific timeline for when the pieces will be returned, the museum said.
Research efforts have already been underway by the museum to examine the ownership history of its objects, focusing on the provenance of Nazi-looted artwork that changed hands in Germany-occupied Europe.
Another focus of the museum's research includes ancient art and cultural property — specifically how the objects were discovered and subsequently changed hands.
___
Khan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Metropolitan Museum of Art to return stolen sculptures to Cambodia, Thailand
Ehren Wynder
Fri, December 15, 2023
People wait in line for the Metropolitan Museum of Art to open to guests in New York City in May. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Dec. 15 (UPI) -- The Metropolitan Museum of Art said Friday it plans to return 14 sculptures to Cambodia and two to Thailand after it discovered the artifacts were stolen.
The Met said it will effectively remove all Khmer works associated with dealer Douglas Latchford, who was indicted in 2019 for illegally smuggling antiques.
Max Hollein, the museum's director and CEO, said the Met has worked with Cambodia and the U.S. Attorney's Office for years to resolve questions regarding the stolen works of art.
"New information that arose from this process made it clear that we should initiate the return of this group of sculptures," he said.
The works being repatriated were made between the ninth and 14th centuries and reflect the prevailing Buddhist and Hindu culture of the period, according to the Met. Among them include a bronze sculpture "The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Seated in Royal Ease" made around the 10th and 11th centuries and a stone "Head of Buddha" from the 7th century.
The museum said a selection of the works will remain on display while it makes arrangements to return them to their countries of origin.
Latchford allegedly had a long history of artifact smuggling, first gaining the attention of U.S. Law enforcement in 2011 with the appearance of a 500-pound sculpture from Kho Ker in a Sotheby's auction catalogue. The Met also returned two other Cambodian objects linked to the dealer in 2013. Latchford died in 2020 without being convicted.
The theft of Cambodian cultural artifacts began century ago under French colonialism, and looting became a global business in the 1970s, '80s and '90s.
'Soul of our ancestors': US to return stolen Cambodian treasures
AFP
Fri, December 15, 2023
'They are dated back to Angkorian era,' said Cambodian culture ministry spokesperson Hab Touch (TANG CHHIN Sothy)
A prestigious US museum will hand back more than a dozen valuable antiquities to Cambodia, a prosecutor said on Friday, after they were plundered and illegally trafficked into the institution's collection.
They were originally stolen by prolific antiquities trafficker Douglas Latchford who in 2019 was charged with operating a major network that stole treasures from Southeast Asia.
A priceless 10th century goddess sandstone statute and a larger-than-life Buddha head from the 7th century are among the items being returned.
Prosecutors said 13 Khmer antiquities were being returned, but the Met Museum, where they were displayed, said separately 14 sculptures would be returned to Cambodia, and two to Thailand.
"The Met has voluntarily agreed to return the antiquities, and they are in the process of being turned over," said the office of Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Latchford was charged with "orchestrating a multi-year scheme to sell looted Cambodian antiquities on the international art market," the office said.
The indictment was later dismissed due to Latchford's death.
"Following (Latchford's) indictment, the Met proactively reached out to (prosecutors) and to Cambodian officials, and through this cooperative partnership, the Museum received new information about the sculptures that made it clear that the works should be transferred," the Met said.
"A number of the sculptures -- including the bronze masterpiece the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Seated in Royal Ease (late 10th-early 11th century), and the monumental stone Head of Buddha (7th century) -- will remain on view in the museum's galleries for South Asian art while arrangements are made for their return to their countries of origin."
- New York trafficking hub -
The Met recently announced it would take steps to better respect cultural property including a review of its inventory.
"They are very important items, that's why we are demanding them back. They are all our ancient artifacts. They are dated back to Angkorian era," Cambodian culture ministry spokesperson Hab Touch told AFP ahead of Friday's announcement.
"They are very good items, ancient items that are the soul of our ancestors."
The works to be returned were stolen at the end of the 20th century, during the wars in Cambodia in the 1970s and during its 1990s reopening to the outside world.
Thousands of statues and sculptures were trafficked internationally over decades from Cambodia to antique dealers in Bangkok, Thailand, before being illegally exported to collectors, businessmen and museums in Asia, Europe and the United States.
Over the past two years, more than 1,000 pieces worth $225 million have been returned to more than 20 countries, including Cambodia, China, India, Egypt, Greece and Italy, officials say.
New York is a trafficking hub, and several antiquities have been seized since 2021 from museums including the respected Met, and from wealthy private collectors in Manhattan.
Fri, December 15, 2023
'They are dated back to Angkorian era,' said Cambodian culture ministry spokesperson Hab Touch (TANG CHHIN Sothy)
A prestigious US museum will hand back more than a dozen valuable antiquities to Cambodia, a prosecutor said on Friday, after they were plundered and illegally trafficked into the institution's collection.
They were originally stolen by prolific antiquities trafficker Douglas Latchford who in 2019 was charged with operating a major network that stole treasures from Southeast Asia.
A priceless 10th century goddess sandstone statute and a larger-than-life Buddha head from the 7th century are among the items being returned.
Prosecutors said 13 Khmer antiquities were being returned, but the Met Museum, where they were displayed, said separately 14 sculptures would be returned to Cambodia, and two to Thailand.
"The Met has voluntarily agreed to return the antiquities, and they are in the process of being turned over," said the office of Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Latchford was charged with "orchestrating a multi-year scheme to sell looted Cambodian antiquities on the international art market," the office said.
The indictment was later dismissed due to Latchford's death.
"Following (Latchford's) indictment, the Met proactively reached out to (prosecutors) and to Cambodian officials, and through this cooperative partnership, the Museum received new information about the sculptures that made it clear that the works should be transferred," the Met said.
"A number of the sculptures -- including the bronze masterpiece the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Seated in Royal Ease (late 10th-early 11th century), and the monumental stone Head of Buddha (7th century) -- will remain on view in the museum's galleries for South Asian art while arrangements are made for their return to their countries of origin."
- New York trafficking hub -
The Met recently announced it would take steps to better respect cultural property including a review of its inventory.
"They are very important items, that's why we are demanding them back. They are all our ancient artifacts. They are dated back to Angkorian era," Cambodian culture ministry spokesperson Hab Touch told AFP ahead of Friday's announcement.
"They are very good items, ancient items that are the soul of our ancestors."
The works to be returned were stolen at the end of the 20th century, during the wars in Cambodia in the 1970s and during its 1990s reopening to the outside world.
Thousands of statues and sculptures were trafficked internationally over decades from Cambodia to antique dealers in Bangkok, Thailand, before being illegally exported to collectors, businessmen and museums in Asia, Europe and the United States.
Over the past two years, more than 1,000 pieces worth $225 million have been returned to more than 20 countries, including Cambodia, China, India, Egypt, Greece and Italy, officials say.
New York is a trafficking hub, and several antiquities have been seized since 2021 from museums including the respected Met, and from wealthy private collectors in Manhattan.
New York's Met museum returns Southeast Asian artifacts tied to looting
Reuters
Fri, December 15, 2023 at 1:15 PM MST·2 min read
FILE PHOTO: People stand outside The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City
(Reuters) - The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City said on Friday that it would return 14 sculptures to Cambodia and two to Thailand that were associated with an art dealer who was charged with trafficking looted antiquities in 2019.
The return of the sculptures to their countries of origin would empty the Met's collection of art associated with Douglas Latchford, a dealer charged with smuggling looted artifacts from Southeast Asia, the museum said.
The U.S. Attorney's office in the Southern District of New York indicted Latchford for supplying major auction houses, art dealers and museums with looted antiquities and falsifying documentation about where he obtained the art. Latchford died at his home in Bangkok in 2020, the New York Times reported.
"The Met has been diligently working with Cambodia and the U.S. Attorney's Office for years to resolve questions regarding these works of art, and new information that arose from this process made it clear that we should initiate the return of this group of sculptures," Max Hollein, the Met's director and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
The art being repatriated was produced between the 9th and 14th centuries in the Angkorian period, and reflects Hindu and Buddhist religious influences, the museum said.
Important Cambodian archeological sites from the ancient Khmer empire were targeted by looters during the country's extended period of civil unrest, from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s. Artifacts entered the international art market through an organized looting network and smuggling process that Latchford used to obtain his art, the U.S. Attorney's office said in its indictment.
The repatriation of the artwork follows the Met's pledge to review the works in its collection with an eye towards cultural property and the museum's past collecting practices, the museum statement said.
U.S. authorities have spent more than a decade working on locating artefacts looted from Cambodia and have made previous returns from various sources.
(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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