Cambodia attempts to retrieve an ancient statue

New York, 1 March 2012
Art Media Agency (AMA)

The Cambodian government has asked the United States government to help it in retrieving a thousand year old statue of a mythical warrior. According to some experts, the statue, which can currently be found at Sotheby’s New York location, must have been seized during the Vietnam War or during the bloody Khmer Rouge communist regime.

According to The New York Times and ABC News, the sandstone sculpture valued between $2 and $3 million, was taken off the auction block one day before the sale, which took place on 24 March 2011. The Cambodian government claims the work was “illegally removed” from its country of origin.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement division opened an investigation, but Cambodian authorities stated that they are waiting to ask for the piece to be seized while they try to purchase it from Sotheby’s through negotiations. The owner, a European collector, had bought it in 1975. Even though it had been separated from its feet and pedestal, Sotheby’s claims that there is no proof of theft. If the Cambodian government wishes to negotiate, it should be aware that under American and Cambodian law, it has no legal claim. However, lawyers working on the case have recently discovered a colonial French law dating from 1925, which states all antiquities tied to Cambodian temples remain under exclusive State property. This law, which continues to be in effect after Cambodia’s independence in 1953, could change the results of this case.

While waiting for the results, Sotheby’s has retracted the antique from auction in the hopes of finding a compromise acceptable for both parties — the Cambodian government and the current owner of the statue.