The Sotheby’s scandal takes us onto the trail of the international art mafia, which generates billions with shady dealings. This is the story of a spectacular case of a robbery that is changing the art world. An iconic temple statue looted during the chaos of the Cambodian civil war, turns up in Sotheby’s auction catalogue 40 years later – with a price tag of three million dollars. But New York’s attorneys intervene...
In this investigative thriller, we retrace the statue's route and show how Sotheby’s tried to rescue the deal with extraordinary legal dodges – like arguing that Cambodia cannot prove it ever owned its own heritage.
Director Wolfgang Luck also managed to interview the Bangkok art dealer behind much of the trade in Khmer art. He admits they didn’t care where the treasures came from. And we show that even respected US museums exhibit stolen art. But this film has a spectacular happy end which sets a precedence for the return of stolen artefacts around the world.
This documentary was produced by A&O Buero and directed by WOLFGANG LUCK. It was first released in 2014.
---
SUBSCRIBE for more amazing stories, including free FULL documentaries. At Java Films we have an incredible library of award-winning documentaries: from world-leading investigations to true crime and history, we have something for everyone!
Click the SUBSCRIBE button and make sure to set NOTIFICATIONS to stay updated with all new content!
