Metropolitan Museum Returns 16 Khmer Artifacts to Cambodia, Thailand

via various sources, 15 December 2023: Big breaking news as The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will repatriate 16 ancient Khmer statues to Cambodia and Thailand, linked to the illegal antiquities trade of Douglas Latchford. This decision comes amidst a U.S. federal investigation into Latchford’s extensive illicit activities. The Met, having a significant number of Latchford-associated items, cooperated with authorities, ensuring no criminal charges against the museum. This move is celebrated as a vital step in returning cultural treasures to their rightful homes and in rectifying historical wrongs. Many news stories linked below.

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has agreed to return to Cambodia and Thailand 16 ancient Khmer statues linked to illicit antiquities trafficking, the museum announced on Friday.

The museum’s agreement to repatriate the statues comes amid a United States federal investigation into the dealings of Douglas Latchford, an accused antiquities trafficker tied to hundreds of Khmer artifacts taken from sacred sites around Cambodia. The Met, which has held a number of pieces linked to Latchford in its collection, has been cooperating with authorities.

As a part of the agreement governing this latest repatriation, federal prosecutors in Manhattan stated that they will not bring criminal charges against the Met for possessing or transporting the stolen items.

Source: Met to return 16 Khmer relics linked to notorious artifact dealer – ICIJ

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “All of the pieces being returned today were tied directly to illicit trafficking, and specifically to a man named Douglas Latchford – a collector and dealer that my Office charged in 2019 for running a vast antiquities trafficking network out of Southeast Asia. I want to thank the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where these pieces were previously housed, for their decision to cooperate and work with my Office to facilitate the return of these pieces to the Kingdom of Cambodia. We look forward to our continued dialogue with the Met on these important issues. My Office will continue to vigorously investigate the illegal trade in stolen antiquities. We urge those in this space, including cultural institutions, to be vigilant. And if you work at one of these institutions or for a private collection and have concerns that certain pieces may be tied to illicit trafficking, do the right thing: come forward and work with us on a voluntary basis to facilitate the return to the rightful owners. That is a far better outcome for you and your institution than if our investigation leads to a knock on your door. In other words, come see us before we come see you.”

Source: U.S. Attorney Announces Return Of Collection Of Antiquities From The Metropolitan Museum Of Art To Cambodia – United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York

The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that it has initiated the return of 14 sculptures to Cambodia and two to Thailand, effectively removing from its collection all Khmer works known by the Museum to be associated with the dealer Douglas Latchford. Mr. Latchford was indicted for selling antiquities illegally in 2019; following his indictment, The Met proactively reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York 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 and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have since signed an agreement to return these works to Cambodia and Thailand. The Museum is continuing to review its collection of Khmer art and will be exchanging information on sculptures with officials in Cambodia and Thailand as part of that ongoing research.

“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,” said Max Hollein, the Museum’s Director and Chief Executive Officer. “The Met is pleased to enter into this agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and greatly values our open dialogue with Cambodia and Thailand. We are committed to pursuing partnerships and collaborations with our colleagues there that will advance the world’s understanding and appreciation of Khmer art, and we look forward to embarking on this new chapter together.”

Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Announces the Return of 16 Khmer Sculptures to Cambodia and Thailand – The Met

See also:

• The Met Will Return 16 Ancient Treasures Tied to Looting | New York Times, 15 Dec 2023
• Metropolitan Museum of Art returning Cambodian antiquities tied to “illicit trafficking” | CBS News, 15 Dec 2023
• Metropolitan Museum of Art to return stolen sculptures to Cambodia, Thailand | UPI, 15 Dec 2023
• Relics tied to alleged smuggler will return to Cambodia, U.S. museum says | Washington Post, 15 Dec 2023
• The Met to Return 16 Statues to Cambodia and Thailand Over Trafficking Concerns | Wall Street Journal, 15 Dec 2023
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art to Return 14 Looted Antiquities to Cambodia | The Observer, 15 Dec 2023
• Metropolitan Museum of Art to return 16 looted sculptures to Cambodia and Thailand | New York Post, 15 Dec 2023
• The Metropolitan Museum will repatriate 16 Khmer sculptures to Cambodia and Thailand | The Art Newspaper, 16 Dec 2023
• ‘Soul of our ancestors’: US to return stolen Cambodian treasures | AFP/Yahoo, 16 Dec 2023
• Met Museum to Return 16 Looted Khmer Artifacts | Hyperallergic, 16 Dec 2023
• New York’s Metropolitan Museum will return stolen ancient sculptures to Cambodia and Thailand | AP 16 Dec 2023
• New York’s Met museum returns South-east Asian artifacts tied to looting | Reuters/Straits Times, 16 Dec 2023
• New York’s Met museum to return Southeast Asian artifacts tied to looting | The Hindu, 16 Dec 2023
• The Met to return looted ancient artworks to Thailand and Cambodia | BBC, 16 Dec 2023
• US to return 2 ancient bronze images | Bangkok Post, 17 Dec 2023
• US museum agrees to return “Golden Boy” statue to Thailand | Thai PBS, 17 Dec 2023
• Kingdom ready to welcome artefacts home | Phnom Penh Post, 17 Dec 2023
• Cambodian PM Dr Hun Manet welcomes the return of Cambodian artifacts | Khmer Times, 17 Dec 2023
• The Metropolitan to Return Pieces to Cambodia | The Collector, 18 Dec 2023
• Cambodia ready to welcome artefacts home | The Nation, 18 Dec 2023
• US museum to return 14 Cambodian artefacts | Khmer Times, 18 Dec 2023
• New York museum to return ‘Golden Boy’, kneeling woman back to Thailand | The Nation, 18 Dec 2023
• Redemption story: Ex-thief, battling cancer, aids in return of Cambodia’s cultural treasures | WION, 18 Dec 2023
• The Met Will Repatriate 16 Artifacts to Cambodia and Thailand | The Smithsonian, 19 Dec 2023
• Metropolitan Museum of Art Will Return 16 Khmer Artifacts to Cambodia and Thailand | ArtNews, 21 Dec 2023