CAMBODIA
cambodia WElcomes home 14 antiquities from the met, New york
On 3 July 2024, Cambodia welcomed its 14 Khmer antiquities from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York, following several years of negotiations between the Cambodian restitution team, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Homeland Security Investigations, and representatives of the Met.
The 14 antiquities were linked to Douglas Latchford, a dealer of Cambodian art who was indicted in 2019 for trafficking looted relics and falsifying documents (he passed away before facing the charges). In December 2023, the Met announced that the antiquities would be deaccessioned and returned to Cambodia.
This is the most significant delivery of antiquities from the Met to Cambodia. In its official press release (below and here), the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts stated that these returns “contribute to the reconciliation and healing of the Cambodian people, who endured decades of civil war and suffered tremendously from the tragedy of the Khmer Rouge regime.” H.E. Dr. Phoeurng Sackona, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts, further stated that this return “is of utmost importance not only for Cambodia, but for all of humankind.” The Minister also extended special thanks to Melina Antoniadis of NOSTOS Strategies for assisting with the negotiations.
NOSTOS Strategies is proud to stand alongside Bradley Gordon, Legal Counsel of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, and the Cambodian restitution team at Edenbridge Asia law firm, for this historic return from one of the largest and most powerful cultural institutions in the world. As reported in The Economist, Cambodia stands out for its success, credited to its energetic local team.
Of the 14 artefacts, an extraordinary stone sculpture of a 10th-century female goddess (Uma), which had been taken from the ancient royal capital of Koh Ker, was returned. The foot of the statue was identified at the Koh Ker temple complex in 2021.
The Phnom Penh Post reported on the return of these 14 antiquities. For more background information, CBS News’ 60 Minutes has recently updated its episode on “How Cambodian artifacts stolen from temples ended up in American museums, private collections”.
