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A Danish artwork supplier alerted the British Museum to allegedly stolen objects in 2021, however was dismissed by senior employees and advised “assortment is protected”, in keeping with reviews by BBC Information and The Telegraph.
Artwork historian Ittai Gradel, a specialist in engraved gems of the Graeco-Roman world, was advised by museum director Hartwig Fischer there was “no proof to substantiate the allegations” that lacking and stolen objects from its assortment have been being offered on the e-commerce web site eBay. British Museum deputy director Jonathan Williams additionally advised Gradel by e-mail {that a} “thorough investigation” had discovered “no suggestion of any wrongdoing”, including that establishment’s “assortment is protected”.
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The museum’s press launch concerning the lacking, stolen, and broken objects stated a staffer had been fired and is being investigated, however didn’t identify the person.The Instances of London and The Day by day Telegraph recognized the fired worker as Peter Higgs. The Greek and Roman antiquities curator had been employed on the museum for 3 many years and even served as an skilled on a trafficked sculpture discovered by UK customs at Heathrow Airport in 2013. Members of Higgs’ household have denied the allegations.
Based on the Telegraph, Gradel despatched Williams a 1,600-word detailed e-mail in February 2021, a few Roman cameo that was provided on the market in an eBay public sale, in addition to different historic artifacts.
Gradel’s e-mail, which was reviewed by the Telegraph, included an in depth description of how he had recognized the vendor, allegedly Higgs. Gradel stated if Higgs was not the thief, it was another person with entry to the museum’s archives who was stealing objects and impersonating the senior curator on-line.
Whereas Williams advised Gradel on March 2 that the matter could be investigated, Gradel had not acquired a reply by the tip of June, prompting the artwork supplier to write down a follow-up e-mail to William and ship a duplicate of his authentic e-mail to Fischer, the museum’s director.
On July 12, 2021, Willams replied to Gradel that an investigation had discovered “the objects involved are all accounted for”, and the outcomes of a safety assessment discovered “procedures are strong and that the gathering is protected”. Later the identical month, William additionally stated Gradel’s allegations have been “wholly unfounded”.
The Telegraph‘s report additionally describes intimately e-mail correspondence between Gradel, trustee Paul Ruddock, chairman George Osbourne, and Fischer, together with Fischer’s insistence the objects weren’t lacking from the gathering.
Studies from The Telegraph have additionally stated “greater than 1,500” objects at the moment are being investigated, and that one merchandise price $64,000 was provided on eBay for as little as $51.
An eBay spokesperson advised BBC Information: “Our devoted regulation enforcement liaison group is in shut contact with the Metropolitan Police and is supporting the investigation into this case.
“eBay doesn’t tolerate the sale of stolen property. If we establish {that a} itemizing on our web site is stolen, we instantly take away it and work with regulation enforcement to assist investigations and maintain our web site protected.”
Minister of Parliament Ben Bradshaw, who additionally served as tradition secretary between 2009 and 2019, known as the most recent allegations towards the British Museum “extraordinarily critical”.
“These are priceless objects that belong to the nation, and they need to be protected,” he advised BBC Information, including the potential for injury to the nation’s repute as a result of media protection around the globe. “The Tradition division shall be desirous to guarantee itself from the board of trustees and George Osborne, that it has the governance in place to guard this stuff now and sooner or later, to forestall something like this ever taking place once more.”
The museum’s skill to guard and safe objects in its assortment have already prompted questions from Greek tradition minister Lina Mendoni, particularly over the contested provenance of the Parthenon Marbles.
Mendoni advised the Greek newspaper To Vima that “the loss, theft, [and] deterioration of objects from a museum’s collections is an especially critical and notably unhappy occasion” and that her workplace was monitoring the scenario. “When such incidents happen, there’s clearly a query of security and integrity [around] all the museum’s reveals,” she stated.
Despina Koutsoumba, president of the Affiliation of Greek Archaeologists, additionally expressed issues throughout an interview with BBC Radio 4. “We wish to inform the British Museum that they can not any extra say that Greek tradition heritage is extra protected within the British Museum,” she stated. “It’s apparent that it is extremely well-protected in Greece and never within the British Museum.”
Just a few weeks earlier than the British Museum had issued a press assertion concerning the lacking, stolen, and broken objects, it had introduced that Fischer would step down because the museum’s director in 2024. Whereas there are already discussions about the potential of that announcement being tied to the thefts, the museum’s chairman strongly denied it, calling Hartwig a “a lot revered director”.
“I’ve been very clear – as has Hartwig – that his choice was not related to our announcement final week,” Osbourne advised BBC Information.
The museum didn’t reply to extra requests from ARTnews for touch upon these allegations. A spokesperson had beforehand advised ARTnews: “We can’t and received’t touch upon the thefts whereas a public police investigation is ongoing.”
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