Cambodia Celebrates the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Repatriation of 14 Ancient Statues Looted During Past Turmoil

Last week, the return to Cambodia of 14 sculptures looted from the country during a period of war and unrest is like welcoming home the souls of ancestors, said the Cambodia's culture minister, Phoeurng Sackona.

Arrival and Display

The artifacts brought back from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art arrived on Wednesday and the corresponding press and VVIPs were taken through the artefacts by the officials the following day Friday at the National Museum in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. Available between the 9th and 14th centuries, the Angkorian period shows the different Hindu and Buddhism that was practiced in the state.

Cambodia's Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts labeled this as the return of the Kingdom's art homeland after years of discussions with Cambodia ART Restitution's team, the US attorneys in New York, the federal Department of Homeland Security as well as the Met Museum. The culture minister emphasized the profound importance of the artifacts' return, noting their significance in recalling the heritage of Cambodian ancestors through both prosperous and tumultuous times.

Minister's Statement

"The pieces were staying a long, long time abroad, but today they returned to Cambodia, like a blessing for our people for peace, stability in our country now," Sackona said. To Cambodians, these returned artworks carry with them the souls of their ancestors, bringing history, admiration, and knowledge. Sackona also mentioned that Cambodia hopes to soon receive another 50 artifacts from the US.

Cambodia claims that other items illegally trafficked from the country remain at the Metropolitan Museum, as well as in other museums and private collections. "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," Sackona said. "They also demonstrate the truly positive partnership we have developed with the United States."

Broader Context

For the art world, these sculptures are repatriation amidst some urgencies questioning art and archaeological artifacts trafficking from their homes. This ranges from artifacts dating back to Asian civilizations and other Asian art pieces that disappeared or were smuggled during war further including artifacts in Syria, Iraq and Europe.

The sculptures were actually stolen from the Met as a result of Cambodia's continuous civil war and turmoil for several years including the Khmer Rouge period of the 1970s. These were purchased and smuggled into the market by well-established art dealer Douglas Latchford, who was charged in 2019 for being implicated in a long-single-year conspiracy to sell stolen Cambodian artifacts in the art market. Smith, 79, who lived in Latchford, Warrington, died in 2020 - but always maintained he had nothing to do with smuggling.

Significant Works

Among the repatriated works, Cambodia's Culture Ministry highlighted two that are expected to be restored by reuniting them with other parts already in their possession. This includes an "extraordinary" stone sculpture from the 10th century of the female goddess Uma from the ancient royal capital of Koh Ker, whose foot had already been retrieved from its original site. "At last, the Uma can be reunified to achieve its full magnificence as one complete statue," the ministry said.

Additionally, a significant artifact returned is a 10th-century bronze head of the deity Avalokiteshvara, which the Ministry highly anticipates reuniting with its matching torso, currently on display at the National Museum of Cambodia.

The repatriation of these artifacts marks a significant step towards restoring Cambodia's rich cultural heritage and acknowledges the international effort to rectify the historical injustices of art trafficking.