British Museum director Hartwig Fischer resigns after major thefts at museum

The director of the British Museum in London, German art historian Hartwig Fischer, resigned today following the serious thefts at the British museum that have emerged in recent days. The Board of Trustees, or the board of the foundation that runs the institution, accepted them.

Too serious was what had happened for Fischer to remain in his post. In recent years, about 1,500 museum pieces, ranging from the 15th century B.C. to the 19th century, have been stolen from the British. The main suspect is one of the museum’s most experienced curators, Peter John Higgs, an expert on Greek and Roman art, who worked for 30 years at the British and is accused of stealing the objects over a period of many years (some have even been put up for sale on eBay, moreover at prices far below their real value).

As early as 2021 Fischer would have been informed about Higgs’ actions, but apparently the museum’s management failed to act effectively. It had been a Dutch antiquarian, Ittai Gradel, who had informed the museum after seeing just some of the objects for sale on eBay, and had initially been rebuffed (he told the Telegraph that he felt taken for the “village idiot” by the museum’s more experienced officials). The director himself, Gradel reported, concluded after his report that there had been no theft.

Fischer’s resignation came officially today, although it had been in the air for some time (although it had been talked about since before the theft affair exploded). “Over the past few days,” Fischer said, “I have gone over in detail the events surrounding the British Museum thefts and the investigation into them. It is clear that the British Museum has not responded as comprehensively as it should have to the warnings of 2021 and to the problem that has now fully emerged. The responsibility for that failure ultimately lies with the Director. I also misjudged the remarks I made earlier this week about Dr. Gradel. I wish to express my sincere regret and withdraw those remarks. I have offered my resignation to the Chairman of the Trustees and will resign as soon as the Board has established an interim leadership arrangement. It will remain in effect until a new director is chosen.”

“The situation in which the Museum finds itself is of the utmost gravity,” he concludes. “I sincerely believe that it will get through this and come out stronger, but unfortunately I have come to the conclusion that my presence is proving to be a distraction. This is the last thing I would want. Over the past seven years I have had the privilege of working with some of the most talented and dedicated civil servants. The British Museum is an extraordinary institution and it has been the honor of my life to lead it.”

George Osborne, chairman of the Board of Trustees, said, “The Board has accepted Hartwig Fischer’s resignation as director. He has acted honorably in dealing with the mistakes that have been made. No one has ever doubted Hartwig’s integrity, his dedication to his work or his love for the Museum. Hartwig had already announced his intention to step down a few weeks ago, so the process of finding a new permanent director is already underway. The trustees will now establish an interim arrangement, ensuring that the Museum has the leadership it needs to deal with this turbulent time as we learn lessons from what went wrong and use them to develop plans for a strong future. The trustees would also like to thank the many, many staff members who work so hard for the Museum and keep it running. I want to be clear on one point: we will fix what went wrong. The Museum has a mission that endures across generations. We will learn, we will restore confidence, and we deserve to be admired once again.”

British Museum director Hartwig Fischer resigns after major thefts at museum

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.