NEW YORK - In the 1970s, long after its encyclopaedic collection had been acknowledged as among the world's finest, The Metropolitan Museum of Art recognised it had slender holdings in South or South-east Asian art.But over the next two decades, it built a world-class collection, acquiring hundreds of artefacts for new galleries that now occupy the equivalent of more than a city block.
Cambodian officials now say they believe many of those 13 items were stolen. They suspect dozens of other artefacts in that gallery and others were also looted, often trafficked by Mr Latchford, who died in 2020. They say they believe he often sold stolen items to other donors and dealers before they ended up at the museum.
Cambodian officials suspect that half a dozen objects on display in this corner of Gallery 249 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art were looted, including two given to the museum by Mr Latchford, who died in 2020. PHOTO: NYTIMES In pursuing a robust set of claims, Cambodian officials are relying heavily on the recollection of places and events from, in some cases, four decades ago by Mr Toek Tik, who died last year at age 62.
Cambodian officials say they have also discovered records that raise concerns about how thoroughly Met officials reviewed many of the items before acquiring them. In particular, they cite documents that show that soon after Mr Lerner - the Met curator who led the collecting efforts - stepped down from his post in 2003 to become an art market consultant, his clients included Mr Latchford.
But Mr Lerner continued to work with Mr Latchford for years after suspicions about the dealer's conduct became public.