Apr 09, 2025
Cambodian ‘blood antiquities’ documentary draws on ICIJ’s Pandora Papers reporting
The sprawling tale takes viewers on a journey from temples deep in the sweltering jungles of Southeast Asia to the heights of the Western art world.
Art
Sep 04, 2024
After Cambodia celebrated the return of lost treasures, the Met ejected a lawyer who helped make it happen
Despite high-profile efforts to repatriate Khmer artifacts, the expulsion of the longtime advocate continues an ongoing saga for the museum.
Mar 27, 2024
Met taps Sotheby’s executive to lead new provenance research team
The long-awaited appointment, which elicited skepticism from some in the art world, follows investigations by ICIJ and others into the origins of the museum’s treasures.
Oct 06, 2023
The Met to return two ancient artifacts to Nepal
One of the sculptures — a striking stone portrait of Vishnu stolen from a shrine in the ’80s — was gifted to the museum in 1995 and identified decades later by online sleuths.
Sep 22, 2023
Leak reveals majority interest in Roman Abramovich’s nearly $1 billion art collection was transferred to his ex-wife ahead of sanctions
A new investigation by ICIJ partner The Guardian shows the offshore moves made in an apparent attempt to thwart potential sanctions that may have jeopardized the Russian oligarch’s extraordinary collection of modern art.
Sep 12, 2023
Lindemann family returns 33 long-sought ancient statues to Cambodia
Billionaire George Lindemann showcased his collection of Khmer treasures and passed them on to his children. But investigations by ICIJ and others traced many of his prized antiquities back to pillaged sacred sites.
Aug 03, 2023
National Gallery of Australia to return bronze artifacts believed stolen to Cambodia
The repatriation of the three millennia-old statues is the latest to follow investigations by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and others.
Jun 23, 2023
Family of accused antiquities trafficker agrees to pay $12 million in record settlement
Douglas Latchford’s estate agreed to forfeit the money and return a 7th-century statue. Relics tied to the accused smuggler remain in museums and private collections around the world.
May 11, 2023
In response to scandals and stolen art seizures, the Met plans to scour its own collections for looted artifacts
The museum’s plan includes hiring a four-person team — led by a new “manager of provenance” — to root out suspect works among the Met’s many treasures with a view to returning them.
Mar 30, 2023
Prosecutors eye new seizures of old art at the Met
Ongoing investigations continue to show that the New York art museum is housing pieces it doesn’t have the rights to.
Mar 20, 2023
More than 1000 artifacts in Metropolitan Museum of Art catalog linked to alleged looting and trafficking figures
Reporters pinpointed the pieces, from India to Italy to Egypt, in North America’s largest museum. What do the findings mean for the Met’s future – and the future of all museums?
Dec 06, 2022
Artifacts seized from prominent New York collector as US authorities push to return looted treasures
The works confiscated from Met trustee Shelby White’s home include rare Roman and Greek antiquities now repatriated to Italy and Turkey.
Aug 31, 2022
Flurry of seizures intensify pressure on the Met over artifacts linked to accused traffickers
Ancient Greek statues were among a trove of relics confiscated by law enforcement in recent weeks, previously unreported search warrants show.
Aug 15, 2022
Magazine spread of ‘most beautiful house in America’ conceals allegedly stolen Cambodian relics
Photos featured in Architectural Digest stories on the homes of the billionaire Lindemann family offer clues to investigators struggling to reclaim lost cultural heritage and shed light on the secretive private antiquities trade.
Aug 10, 2022
As US returns looted relics to Cambodia, officials call on more collectors to come clean
A museum and private collectors relinquished dozens of religious artifacts linked to alleged antiquities smuggler Douglas Latchford, whose offshore trusts were uncovered in the Pandora Papers.
Feb 07, 2022
US art trade vulnerable to money laundering but reform should wait, Treasury says
A U.S. Treasury study found that shell companies and secrecy put the art industry at risk of financial crimes — but says other reforms are of a higher priority.
Jan 28, 2022
From Banksy to Picasso, offshore world awash in valuable art
The Pandora Papers reveal more than 1,600 works of art secretly traded through tax havens.
Jan 12, 2022
Tech titan surrenders Cambodian relics sold by indicted dealer amid broader repatriation push
Netscape co-founder Jim Clark paid millions for antiquities bought from alleged trafficker Douglas Latchford, whose secret offshore dealings were exposed in the Pandora Papers.
Nov 10, 2021
Denver museum to return looted relics to Cambodia after US moves to seize them
The repatriation of the ancient statues comes weeks after Pandora Papers reporting identified dozens of Khmer antiquities linked to an accused trafficker in the collections of major art institutions.
Oct 25, 2021
After Pandora Papers, Met officials contacted U.S. attorneys about relics Cambodia says were stolen
The museum met with federal prosecutors in New York after the investigation detailed links between antiquities it holds and an indicted art dealer.
Oct 17, 2021
The Denver Art Museum to return four artifacts to Cambodia after Pandora Papers investigation coverage of indicted art dealer
The museum’s plan to send the ancient relics to their native country follows reporting that showed they were linked to Douglas Latchford, indicted in 2019 after decades of alleged trafficking.
Oct 05, 2021
From temples to offshore trusts, a hunt for Cambodia’s looted heritage leads to top museums
U.S. investigators say Douglas Latchford trafficked ancient treasures for decades. Dozens of relics tied to the accused smuggler remain in the Met and other prominent institutions.
Oct 05, 2021
How we tracked Cambodian antiquities to leading museums and private galleries
Relics linked to accused looter Douglas Latchford are displayed in private homes and public institutions all over the world. Here’s how reporters found them, and what museums said when we asked how they were acquired.
Oct 04, 2021
Sri Lankan power couple piled up luxury homes, artworks and cash offshore as ruling family rose and rose
Secret files reveal Rajapaksa ruling family member and husband used secret companies to stash riches around the world.
Nov 04, 2020
Secretive high-end art world can be vehicle for dirty money, US Treasury warns
A new advisory urges agents, brokers, and others in the art industry to adopt safeguards against financial crime, money laundering, and sanctions evasion.