Four ancient bronze sculptures illegally removed from Thailand in the 1960s have been repatriated from San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum to their original home in Thailand, following an investigation led by the US Department of Homeland Security. The works, which were featured in the museum’s 2024 exhibition “Moving Objects: Learning from Local and Global Communities,” were linked to convicted antiquities trafficker Douglas Latchford and had been acquired by the museum’s founding collector Avery Brundage. The Asian Art Commission unanimously approved the return after a two-stage voting process that began in September 2024 and concluded in April 2025.
This repatriation matters because it reflects a significant shift in Western museum practices regarding provenance research and the restitution of looted cultural heritage. The case underscores how changing attitudes toward art market ethics and colonial-era collecting have prompted institutions to proactively return objects to their countries of origin. The museum’s associate curator credited Thai scholars and villagers—including looters—for providing the evidence that confirmed the sculptures’ illegal removal, highlighting the growing role of community-based research in restitution efforts.