Denver Art Museum Statement Regarding Emma Bunker

Denver—December 13, 2022—The Denver Art Museum is deeply troubled by documents contained in a recent media report about cultural property alleging that former museum trustee and volunteer Emma Bunker was a willing participant in Douglas Latchford’s scheme to mislead the museum.

Shortly after Latchford’s indictment in 2019, the museum proactively reached out to Cambodian officials and ultimately repatriated various artworks associated with Latchford. This response is consistent with the museum’s longstanding track record of cooperation and collaboration with U.S. and foreign officials to ensure proper ownership of cultural antiquities. Careful analysis and research into the provenance of various objects in its collections is ongoing, with those connected to Emma Bunker as a current top priority.

Ethical collection practices are a core value of the Denver Art Museum, evidenced by an ongoing commitment to provenance research and repatriation of pieces acquired throughout its history. In addition to collaborating with authorities, the museum also works directly with peer museums and countries of origin to pursue facts and ensure proper ownership. Recent outcomes of this work include the return of 22 objects last year found to be illegally exported by a different dealer, as well as the return of a major piece to Cambodia in 2016. This work has been and will continue to be a significant effort for the Denver Art Museum and the museum field at large.

In the decades since the Latchford/Bunker antiquities arrived at the Denver Art Museum, acquisition and loan practices across the museum field, including those at the DAM, have evolved and improved. Over the last several years, the DAM has invested additional staff and resources in order to increase capacity for researching the ownership histories of objects in its collections, focused on both accuracy and cultural sensitivity. "We will use funds contributed by friends and donors in memory of Emma Bunker after her passing to supplement our ongoing provenance work related to objects in the Asian art collection," said Christoph Heinrich, the Director of the Denver Art Museum. "The wide-ranging impact of the Bunker family is reflected in their name being present in many ways in our collections. This is not a history that can or should be easily erased. It needs to be thoroughly researched and clearly and publicly explained."

For more than 60 years the Bunker family has been associated with the museum as trustees and donors. They donated more than 200 art objects in areas across the museum including textiles and modern and contemporary art. Approximately 50 of these gifts are considered antiquities, mostly from Asian countries, which have been a primary focus of the museum’s provenance research over the last years. In ongoing discussions with its board of trustees, the museum is determining the best path forward in dealing with the Bunker Gallery in its Asian collection, which was introduced when the galleries reopened more than a year ago in recognition of a capital campaign gift from multiple members of the Bunker family.

About the Denver Art Museum

The Denver Art Museum is an educational, nonprofit resource that sparks creative thinking and expression through transformative experiences with art. Its mission is to enrich lives by sparking creative thinking and expression. Its holdings reflect the city and region—and provide invaluable ways for the community to learn about cultures from around the world. Metro residents support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), a unique funding source serving hundreds of metro Denver arts, culture and scientific organizations. For museum information, visit www.denverartmuseum.org or call 720-865-5000.

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Media Contact

Andy Sinclair, Media Relations Manager
Denver Art Museum
720-913-0096
asinclair@denverartmuseum.org
pressoffice@denverartmuseum.org