Matthew Campbell's new book, The Man Who Stole the Gods, examines how British art smuggler Douglas Latchford moved sacred Cambodian sculptures into Western collections over several decades. The story places cultural heritage at the center of a wider conversation about ethics, ownership, and preservation.
Art crime scholar Erin L. Thompson, who has long studied the looting of Khmer heritage, discusses with Campbell the lasting impact of removing sacred objects from their original context. Their exchange highlights how museums and collectors can become part of a larger system that reshapes the meaning of ancient art.
The broader edition also turns attention to creative practice and art writing, including William Kentridge's reflections on studio life and the imaginative process behind his work. Across these pieces, art appears not only as an object of beauty, but as a living record of memory, identity, and cultural responsibility.
As museums, scholars, and artists continue to revisit provenance and context, this conversation may help define a more transparent future for global art stewardship.
