Martin Lerner
Martin Lerner is an American art historian and curator best known for his long tenure as the Curator of Indian and Southeast Asian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, a position he held from 1972 until his retirement in 2003. Over the course of his career, Lerner significantly contributed to the study, preservation, and display of Asian art, particularly focusing on the art of India and Southeast Asia. However, his legacy has been clouded by his involvement in the controversy surrounding Cambodian looted art and his association with notorious art dealer Douglas Latchford.
Early Life and Education
Martin Lerner is an American art historian specializing in South and Southeast Asian art. He taught art history at the University of California, Santa Barbara and served as assistant curator of Oriental art at the Cleveland Museum of Art, while also teaching at Case Western Reserve University. In 1972, he joined the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where he served in several curatorial roles, including curator of South and Southeast Asian art from 1978 until his retirement.Career at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Lerner joined the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1972, where he specialized in Indian and Southeast Asian art. He curated exhibitions and contributed to the museum’s acquisitions from the region, helping to develop its collection of Cambodian and Khmer art. His later association with art dealer Douglas Latchford, however, drew controversy and affected his professional reputation.Impact on the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Collection
When Martin Lerner joined the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1972, its collection of South and Southeast Asian art was relatively small, with fewer than 60 objects suitable for display. In the following two decades, Lerner oversaw a major expansion of the collection, acquiring works from Cambodia, Thailand, India, and Vietnam.Among his key initiatives was the establishment of a dedicated gallery for Khmer art, allowing Cambodian sculpture to be exhibited prominently. These and other new galleries reflected the museum’s broader effort to represent a wider range of global artistic traditions.
An important figure in this expansion was Douglas A. J. Latchford, a British-Thai businessman and collector who became a leading figure in the acquisition of Khmer art. While Latchford would later be indicted for trafficking looted Cambodian artifacts, his role in building the MET’s collection during the 1980s and 1990s was significant. Starting in 1983, Latchford either donated or sold 13 key objects to the museum, many of which became highlights of the museum's collection of Khmer art. Among these were two large torsos of stone statues, the Kneeling Attendants, which were displayed at the entrance of the museum's Khmer gallery. These statues were given "in honor of Martin Lerner," underscoring the close relationship between the curator and Latchford, as well as Lerner's pivotal role in shaping the MET's Southeast Asian holdings.
Controversy and Involvement with Douglas Latchford
In the 2000s and 2010s, Lerner became entangled in a significant art-world controversy related to the illicit trafficking of Cambodian artifacts. Latchford, a well-known dealer of Cambodian antiquities, was accused of trafficking looted artifacts, many of which were sold to prominent museums, including the MET.According to a report by The New York Times dated August 18, 2022, documents retrieved from Latchford’s computer, which was handed over to the Cambodian government by Latchford’s daughter after his death, revealed that Lerner had played a role in facilitating the sale of these looted artifacts. The documents showed that Lerner used his position as a former expert at the MET to help Latchford market Cambodian artifacts to collectors and institutions. In some instances, Lerner directly vouched for the authenticity and value of the artifacts, using language in letters that closely matched the phrasing Latchford had requested. The documents also revealed that Lerner and Latchford jointly owned at least one of these artifacts.