Emma Cadwalader Bunker (Emma C. Bunker) was born June 19, 1930, in Haverford, Penn, and studied at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts, earning an M.A. in the field of Asian art. In 1956, she married John Bunker, an executive of Holly Sugar Corporation in Colorado Springs and son of a U.S. ambassador.[1][2] The couple moved to Denver in 1962.[3]
Art historian and museum trustee
Bunker served as a trustee and a consultant to the Denver Art Museum and was considered an expert in Asian art.[4][5] She wrote numerous books about Asian antiquities. In 2018 a book of essays was published in her honor.[6]
An art collector and a philanthropist Bunker and her husband donated 221 pieces to the Denver Art Museum.[3] Some of these were later returned by the museum.[7]
Bunker's expertise was cited by auction houses such as Sotheby's in the sale of Asian art.[8]
Looted art revelations
In 2022 a series of investigative reports by the Denver Post explored Bunker's role in trafficking looted art.[9][10] The Denver Art Museum issued a statement saying it was troubled by the revelations.[11]
Together with Douglas Latchford, Bunker co-wrote books that experts say "were filled with false provenances." In 2023, two years after her death, the Denver Art Museum cut its ties with Bunker.[12][13]
↑ Linduff, Katheryn M, ed. (2018). How objects tell stories: essays in honor of Emma C. Bunker. Brepols Publishers, Turnhout, Belgium. ISBN9782503580210. OCLC1104345529.
↑ Mashberg, Tom; Blumenthal, Ralph (2012-11-13). "Sotheby's Accused of Deceit in Sale of Khmer Statue". The New York Times. ISSN0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-11-13. The evidence collected by the government includes an e-mail from a Sotheby's official to the Khmer scholar, Emma C. Bunker, that in part reads, "If I can push the provenance back to 1970, then U.S. museums can participate in the auction without any hindrance."
↑ "Denver Art Museum cut ties with a disgraced donor—but critics say that's not enough". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 2023-08-07. Retrieved 2023-11-13. This spring, after a scathing exposé in its local newspaper, the museum excised the name of its late benefactor Emma C. Bunker from its Arts of Asia gallery, for which Bunker's family had raised money. The museum also closed down an acquisition fund in her name. But Bunker would be a hard presence to expunge entirely in Denver, if the museum wanted to. Her memory is still a presence in other departments where she donated objects.
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