Renowned author of the highly acclaimed "Thieves of Bagdad", Assistant D.A. in Manhattan, and Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, Matthew Bogdanos, will be recounting his exploration to recover stolen art from the Iraq Museum in chaotic post war Bagdad, on Monday, June 1st, from 6-8 pm at Kouros Gallery (23 East 73rd Street, NY, NY).
The event is under the auspices of the Consulate General of Greece in New York.
For more information and to R.S.V.P. you can contact 212-288-5888 or camillos@kourosgallery.com
About the presentation
After the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, priceless antiquities from the Iraq Museum disappeared into the world of the international black market for art. Greek- American Bogdanos played an important part in saving considerable portion of Iraq's cultural heritage.
During his presentation, the author will explore the theft and looting of the Iraq Museum in April 2003 through more than one hundred photographs from Afghanistan to Iraq, and will describe his team's recovery of thousands of history's most priceless antiquities. He will detail the ongoing efforts of the international community and expose the black market in stolen antiquities that it is funding terrorism in Iraq and elsewhere.
Signed copies of "Thieves of Bagdad" will be available for sale and all royalties will be donated to the Iraq National Museum.
About the author
Matthew Bogdanos, an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan- where New York tabloids call him "pit bull" for his relentless prosecution of criminals – is a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, middleweight boxer, and a native New Yorker. Raised waiting tables in his family's Greek restaurant, he holds advanced degrees in law, classics and military strategy. Recalled to active duty after losing his apartment near the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, he received a Bronze Star for counterterrorist operations in Afghanistan and served in the Horn of Africa, before serving multiple tours in Iraq and leading the international investigation into the looting of the Iraq Museum. He has spoken in more than 150 cities in 16 countries – including to both Houses of the British Parliament, to Interpol, and the Peace Palace in Hague – and received a 2005 National Humanities Medal from President George Bush for his work recovering Iraq's priceless treasures. He has returned to the DA's Office and continues to hunt for stolen antiquities.
