via New York Times, 18 August 2022: Cambodia is seeking to repatriate artefacts from the Met, but the museum is complaining that it is not receiving information from the country. Cambodia is instead handing the evidence to the authorities. Art Crime professor Erin Thompson has an Twitter thread on why this distinction is important (linked below).
But the dispute has evolved into something of an odd standoff.
The Met says it has a track record of returning items proven to have been looted, that for years it has been reviewing its Khmer artifacts and that it has updated several provenances as a result and turned that information Cambodian officials, meanwhile, have turned evidence of looting over to federal authorities but not to the museum itself.
“We have not been provided Toek Tik’s accounts,” the Met said in a statement, “nor do we know the identity of the 33 items. We have repeatedly requested any evidence demonstrating works were stolen from Cambodia.”
Bradley Gordon, a lawyer for Cambodia’s government, responded, “The burden of proof should be on the Met to prove the Met has the right to legally own Cambodia’s national treasures.”
Source: Cambodia Says It’s Found Its Lost Artifacts: In Gallery 249 at the Met – The New York Times
See also:
- Cambodian Officials Say the Met Owns at Least 33 Looted Artworks Linked to the Late, Disgraced Art Dealer Douglas Latchford | Artnet News, 18 Aug 2022
- Cambodia Alleges That the Met Has Looted Artifacts with Connections to Disgraced Dealer Douglas Latchford | ArtNews, 18 Aug 2022
- Cambodia Believes the Metropolitan Museum of Art Has Stolen Artifacts in Its Collection | Daily Beast, 18 Aug 2022
- Cambodia Claims Stolen Artifacts are at New York’s Met Museum | Greek Reporter, 20 Aug 2022
- A Temple Robber Tracks His Loot to the Met | The New York Times
The Met Museum is complaining that Cambodia won’t give it all the info they have about the theft of the art they’re claiming. Let’s talk about why that’s a massive act of solidarity with other countries seeking repatriation.
— Erin L. Thompson (@artcrimeprof) August 19, 2022https://t.co/LGC1OKRWmP
