Colonel Matthew Bogdanos receives the 2026 Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History for his extraordinary career at the unique intersection of military service, criminal prosecution, and cultural preservation.

As an assistant district attorney in New York City since 1988, Bogdanos has successfully prosecuted more than 200 violent-felony trials, more than 100 of which were homicides. Throughout this time, Bogdanos served in the Marine Corps, both active and reserve. His storied military career spans six combat tours across Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Horn of Africa.

Bogdanos’s passion for cultural heritage is evident in his work today, but began early in life. At age 12, Bogdanos’s mother, then a waitress in the family’s Greek restaurant in lower Manhattan, gave him a copy of Homer’s Iliad, which sparked a lifelong devotion to antiquity. In 1980, he earned a bachelor’s degree in classical studies from Bucknell University, enrolling in the military while still a first-year student. Bogdanos went on to complete a master’s degree in strategic studies from the United States Army War College, and a law degree and master’s degree in classical studies from Columbia University. Bogdanos attributes his accomplishments to a love of the ancient Greek ideal of integrating the life of action with the life of the mind.

Recalled to active duty after September 11, 2001, Bogdanos led counterterrorist operations in Afghanistan, where he earned a Bronze Star. In April 2003, he led a multiagency recovery team into the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, where thousands of antiquities, including the 4,500-year-old hammered gold helmet of King Meksalamdug, had been looted amid the chaos of the invasion. His investigation recovered more than 9,000 pieces from eight countries and exposed the dark connection between antiquities trafficking and terrorist financing.

For this work, Bogdanos received the 2005 National Humanities Medal. He documented his findings in the book Thieves of Baghdad (with William Patrick), donating all royalties to the Iraq Museum. Since returning to the DA’s Office in 2010, his unit has recovered more than 6,100 antiquities, totaling more than $480 million, that were stolen from Greece, Italy, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Nepal, Thailand, and beyond. Bogdanos’s advocacy has influenced international policy, including UN Security Council Resolution 2199, which recognized antiquities trafficking as a source of terrorist funding.

Beyond his professional achievements, Bogdanos is an active, accomplished middleweight boxer with a 26-5 amateur record, success he credits to his years as a ballet dancer. He co-founded an annual charity boxing gala, Battle of the Barristers, that has raised more than $1.8 million for wounded veterans and children at risk. Bogdanos maintains his mission to combat the illicit antiquities trade that threatens both cultural heritage and global security.

In accepting the Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History, Colonel Matthew Bogdanos declined the cash award. The Vilcek Foundation will instead honor his request to donate the funds to nonprofit organizations of his choosing.

Awards and Accomplishments

Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy (2025)
Commander of Greece’s Order of the Phoenix (2025)
Giuseppe Sciacca Award from the Vatican (2016)
Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2011)
National Humanities Medal (2005)
Bronze Star (2003)