Episode summary
Chasing the Man Who Stole The Gods | Bloomberg Businessweek
Bloomberg Businessweek Daily
· · 11 min · Hosts: Carol Massar, Tim Stenovec, Christina Ruffini · Guests: Matthew Campbell
Summary
Matthew Campbell’s book, The Man Who Stole the Gods, traces a decades-long antiquities trafficking network centered on Cambodian temple sculptures and on Douglas Latchford, the British dealer who helped move them into Western collections and museums. He describes the looting as a demand-driven black market that accelerated in the 1980s and 1990s, when trophy pieces were smuggled out through Thailand and into New York, Palm Beach, and other wealthy art hubs.
Campbell says the central recovery effort now belongs to Brad Gordon, an American lawyer hired by the Cambodian government to investigate the thefts and push for returns. He argues the case is both legal and cultural: under the U.S. National Stolen Property Act, prosecutors must show the pieces were stolen from today’s Cambodian territory, but Cambodians also see the objects as part of a living religious tradition, not just museum art.
He also notes that the politics of restitution are shifting. Arguments that source countries lacked the capacity to protect their heritage carry less force as places like Cambodia invest more in museums and preservation. The discussion names major collectors and institutions, including Leon Black, Jim Clark, the Lindemann family, and the Metropolitan Museum.
Key takeaways
- Matthew Campbell says the looting of Cambodian antiquities became an industrial-scale trade in the 1980s and 1990s, driven by wealthy demand in the United States.
- He identifies Douglas Latchford as the British art dealer at the center of a multi-million dollar trafficking ring.
- Campbell says Brad Gordon’s investigations, backed by U.S. law enforcement, have helped get some artifacts returned to Cambodia.
- He says the U.S. National Stolen Property Act requires proof that a piece came from today’s Cambodian territory, not a broader historic empire.
- Campbell argues the restitution debate is changing because Cambodians now have stronger institutions and see the artifacts as living religious objects.
Notable quotes
“the man who stole the gods was a British art dealer, Douglas Latchford, who was the foremost dealer of art from Cambodia in the world”
“People wanted this. It became a status symbol. And as a result, there were these bands of lutters, many of them connected in one way or another to the Cime Rouge”
“He became obsessed with this challenge of tracking these artworks all over the world and ultimately getting people to give them back”
“to Cambodians these are part of a living religious culture. A lot of Cambodians when they see them will start praying or they will bow or they will leave little offerings”
“The way this works in the US is a piece of legislation called the National Stolen Property Act”
How the episode opens
Bloomberg Audio Studios podcasts radio news. — You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Masser and Tim Stenc on Bloomberg Radio.
Our amazing colleague is here. Uh Matthew, thank you so much for coming on. It's a great title, Matthew Campbell.
It is the man who stole the gods. Um who is the man? What did he steal?
And how did you get turned onto this story? So, this is a stolen art caper that unfolds against the backdrop of basically the Cold War in Asia. And a lot of the products of all this stealing ended up here in New York City, just a short distance up Park Avenue from where we're sitting right now.
And basically the man who stole the gods was a British art dealer, Douglas Latchford, who was the foremost dealer of art from Cambodia in the world, selling huge volumes of what turned out to be stolen artworks into wealthy people in the US and museums here.
It's got an incredible cast of characters. It's a new book. It's called The Man Who Stole the Gods.
It comes out next week, but uh we can pre-order it now and we can read an excerpt that we're referring to on the Bloomberg terminal and at bloomberg.com. It is today's big take. It's one of the most read stories on the terminal.
The the thing that I think is so relevant for the Bloomberg audience is that immediately at least in this excerpt uh you're you're drawn into to sort of modern times like Christies and Sabes take center stage again at least in this excerpt because you know in the last decade plus they were involved in in selling at least the work that is focused on in this part of the book.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- antiquities trafficking
- cambodia heritage looting
- khmer rouge legacy
- financial crime
- art market
Watch the episode
Watch “Chasing the Man Who Stole The Gods | Bloomberg Businessweek” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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