Matthew Campbell, "The Man Who Stole the Gods: A True Story of War, Obsession, and a Global Art Conspiracy" (Penguin, 2026)
About this episode
Matthew Campbell discusses his book on the Cambodian antiquities trade and the efforts to repatriate stolen art.
On June 10, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York returned two pieces of artwork to Cambodia: an Angkor statue and a sandstone lintel. It’s the latest repatriation effort by the U.S.’s premier art museum, and the third time the Met has had to give up Cambodian artifacts specifically. Matthew Campbell’s The Man Who Stole The Gods: A True Story of War, Obsession, and a Global Art Conspiracy (Penguin, 2026) dives into the story of the Cambodian antiquities trade, from looted temples in the Cambodian forests, through dealers in Bangkok like Douglas Latchford, and then into museums and billionaire homes in the West. And he also digs into how this trade fell apart: How the U.S. Department of Justice and activists in Cambodia pressured dealers and museums like the Met to give this art back. Matthew is an award-winning reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek. His previous book, Dead in the Water—co-authored with Kit Chellel—was selected as a Book of the Year by The Economist, the Financial Times, and The Times. Matt has reported from more than twenty-five countries on crime, corruption, terrorism, economics, and the environment. His work has earned some of journalism’s…
People in this episode
Guest: Matthew Campbell
Topics covered
- Cambodian antiquities trade
- art repatriation
- cultural heritage
- art crime
- journalism
- global art conspiracy
Keywords
- Cambodia
- art repatriation
- Matthew Campbell
- antiquities trade
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Douglas Latchford
- cultural heritage
- art crime
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Economist, Financial Times, The Times, U.S. Department of Justice
Books & works: The Man Who Stole the Gods: A True Story of War, Obsession, and a Global Art Conspiracy, Dead in the Water
Places: Cambodia
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