Metropolitan Museum of Art to return stolen sculptures to Cambodia, Thailand
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.
