New York’s Met Museum to return looted antiquities to Cambodia

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.

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“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.”

The Met recently announced it would take steps to better respect cultural property including a review of its inventory.

“We appreciate this first step in the right direction,” said a statement issued by Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. “We look forward to further returns and acknowledgements of the truth regarding our lost national treasures, taken from Cambodia in the time of war and genocide.”

“They are very important items, that’s why we are demanding them back. They are all our ancient artefacts. They are dated back to Angkorian era,” ministry spokesperson Hab Touch said 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 US.

Over the past two years, more than 1,000 pieces worth US$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.