The Cambodian government has formally requested archival materials from the family of Emma C. Bunker, a deceased art historian and former Denver Art Museum board member, as part of ongoing efforts to recover stolen cultural artifacts. The request comes after the Denver Art Museum repatriated 11 Asian artifacts to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand in recent years, most of which had been donated by Bunker before her death in 2021.
Bunker came under intense scrutiny after investigations revealed her close ties to Douglas Latchford, a notorious art and antiquities dealer accused of smuggling and trafficking looted Southeast Asian artifacts. Latchford died in 2020 before he could face trial, while Bunker died a year later without being formally charged with any criminal wrongdoing. However, their professional relationship has continued to draw attention from authorities and journalists investigating the illegal antiquities trade.
Following Bunker's death, the Denver Post published a comprehensive three-part investigation in 2022 that alleged she actively helped Latchford use the Denver Art Museum as a transit point for stolen cultural artifacts. According to the investigation, Bunker had established a dedicated acquisitions fund specifically for the museum's Asian galleries, which prosecutors believe was used to facilitate the illegal art trade. The report further alleged that Bunker leveraged her scholarly reputation and academic credentials to provide legitimacy for Latchford's operations and even assisted in creating fraudulent provenance records to support the sale of questionable artifacts through her fund.
In response to these serious allegations, the Denver Art Museum took decisive action in 2023, formally severing all ties with Bunker's legacy. The institution removed her name from the Southeast Asian gallery wall where it had been prominently displayed and returned a substantial monetary donation to her family. These actions represented a significant acknowledgment of the museum's recognition of the problematic nature of their former relationship with the art historian.
The recent formal request from Cambodia was made through attorney Bradley Gordon, who sent an email directly to Lambert Bunker, Emma Bunker's son. In the correspondence, which was reviewed by the Denver Post, Gordon specifically requested access to Bunker's extensive personal notebooks containing detailed information about Cambodia, as well as photographs of Cambodian statues that she had compiled for various academic publications co-authored with Latchford. "We are very eager to consult these materials as we continue our search for several important statues originating from the country," Gordon wrote in the email.
This latest development highlights the ongoing international efforts to recover cultural artifacts that were illegally removed from their countries of origin, often decades ago. The case also underscores the complex web of relationships between academic institutions, private collectors, dealers, and scholars that has historically facilitated the illegal antiquities trade. The Denver Art Museum did not respond to requests for comment regarding the Cambodian government's latest efforts to access Bunker's personal archives.
