How South-East Asian art sold in Australia passed through the hands of a suspected smuggler

via ABC News, 11 June 2022: An expose on how looted antiquities from Thailand and Cambodia made their way to the art market through an art gallery in Australia. Some familiar names, such as Douglas Latchford, appear. Chasing Aphrodite has far more comprehensive converage about looted antiquities than I do – you can check out his coverage of looted Ban Chiang artefacts here.

However, Background Briefing can reveal one major supplier to the David Jones Art Gallery was implicated in a landmark US art theft case, where evidence suggested that he falsified provenance and worked with a notorious accused art smuggler.

The supplier, Chinese-Thai art dealer Peng Seng, also known as Arthorn Sirikantraporn, worked with accused art smuggler Douglas Latchford to falsify provenance details and help smuggle items, according to evidence in the case.

Peng Seng’s ties to Douglas Latchford are highly significant.

During the 60s and 70s, Thailand was a gateway for stolen Khmer artefacts smuggled across the border.

Among the many Khmer art dealers who operated out of Thailand, none are as notorious as Latchford.

Source: How South-East Asian art sold in Australia passed through the hands of a suspected smuggler – ABC News