Stolen Art, Artifacts and Diamonds | 60 Minutes Full Episodes

14 Sep 2024 (6 days ago)

The Looting of Cambodia (Part 1)

The theft of Cambodia's cultural treasures, including thousands of artifacts made from stone, bronze, and gold, is considered one of the greatest art heists in history.
The looting of Cambodia's temples, which began nearly a century ago during French colonization, escalated significantly in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s during periods of genocide, civil war, and political instability.
Douglas Latchford, a British art dealer, played a central role in the looting, selling stolen artifacts to wealthy collectors and prominent museums worldwide.

The Looting of Cambodia (Part 2)

A team of Cambodian investigators, led by American lawyer Brad Gordon, has spent over 10 years documenting the theft of thousands of ancient statues and relics by British art dealer Douglas Latchford.
Many of Cambodia's greatest treasures are still hidden in the mansions of wealthy individuals and displayed in prestigious museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The Met has one of the most important collections of Cambodian antiquities, many of which were stolen and passed through the hands of Douglas Latchford.
Latchford sold and donated several pieces to the Met in the early 1990s, and most visitors are unaware that these are looted artifacts.
Brad Gordon and his team visited Cambodia to trace the origins of these artifacts, discovering that many were looted from ancient temples like the seven-story pyramid in COK.
Among the stolen artifacts were nine stone warriors from COK, seven of which have been returned to the National Museum in Phnom Penh.
The Lindaman family, with the help of Latchford, built a collection of stolen Cambodian treasures, which were displayed in their Palm Beach mansion.
Former looters identified several statues in the Lindaman collection as pieces they had stolen, including a reclining figure of the Hindu god Vishnu.
Photos of looted statues covered in dirt were found on Latchford's computer, and he sold many of these to the Met.
Latchford was indicted in 2019 but died before trial; federal prosecutors continue to trace his looted artifacts, with at least 18 pieces ending up at the Met.
The Met has been criticized for not thoroughly investigating the provenance of artifacts acquired from Latchford, despite evidence of looting.
The Met announced the creation of a research team to examine the provenance of its collections, but this process has been slow.
The Lindaman family agreed to return 33 stolen treasures to Cambodia after realizing the extent of Latchford's looting.
The Cambodian team, led by Brad Gordon, was able to see and identify several important artifacts from the Lindaman collection, which are now set to be returned to Cambodia.
The Cambodian government has submitted a list of 49 antiquities held by the Met that they claim were stolen and want back.