Current location:entertainment >>
Art in crisis: Thefts spark doubts over British Museum
entertainment5727People have gathered around
IntroductionVisitors look at the reconstructed Nereid Monument, removed from modern-day Turkiye in the early 184 ...
Visitors look at the reconstructed Nereid Monument, removed from modern-day Turkiye in the early 1840s, on Aug 23 at the British Museum in London. LEON NEAL/GETTY IMAGES
Stolen artifacts fuel debate over its future as a safe repository for cultural items
Editor's Note: The scandal at the British Museum risks undermining the institution's founding purpose as a custodian of the world's treasures, sparking a wave of calls for returning looted artifacts to countries of origin. The story reviews the recent astounding case and experts' perspectives on artifact collections in museums.
Since it was established by the British Parliament in 1753 to house the collection of 71,000 artifacts bequeathed to the nation by physician Hans Sloane, London's British Museum has welcomed millions of visitors, including some of the most famous names in history, through its doors to marvel at its wonders.
In 1765, the 9-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote a piece of music dedicated to the museum on Great Russell Street after a visit. Years later, Karl Marx, Bram Stoker and Arthur Conan Doyle became regular users of its famous reading room.
In 1972, the visit of the relics of Tutankhamen drew a record 1.8 million visitors to the museum. Then in 1980, it hosted a Viking exhibition. Currently, China's Hidden Century exhibition is being held at the museum to great acclaim.
But this summer, it is not who has been coming through the museum's doors that is being talked about, but it is what has been taken out of them, as a scandal over missing items has made hugely damaging international headlines.
When the story first broke in mid-August, the BBC reported that a staff member had been sacked and there was a police investigation over items that were "missing, stolen or damaged", with museum director Hartwig Fischer calling it "a highly unusual incident".
But less than two weeks later, it was Fischer who was on his way out, with his deputy Jonathan Williams stepping back from duties, as the scandal and reputational damage to one of the world's most highly regarded historical institutions grew, with the revelation that there had been unheeded warnings over suspected thefts two years earlier.
About 2,000 treasures are thought to have been stolen, but recovery has begun for some of them, BBC cited British Museum chairman George Osborne as saying on Aug 26.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Global Gazette news portal”。http://lesotho.camilleandconfettis.com/html-24e799954.html
Related articles
US overdose deaths dropped in 2023, the first time since 2018
entertainmentNEW YORK (AP) — The number of U.S. fatal overdoses fell last year, according to Centers for Disease ...
Read moreSeven injured after two
entertainmentFile image. Photo: RNZ / Nathan Mckinnon ...
Read moreNational candidate heads to easy victory in Port Waikato by
entertainmentAndrew Bayly Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone ...
Read more
Popular articles
- Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 26
- Major bridge in Baltimore, US collapses after being struck by cargo ship
- Scammers pose as police officers in attempt to get financial information
- RNZ's pips are changing
- Saudi Arabia is going to sponsor the WTA women's tennis rankings under a new partnership
- New Plymouth councillor questions cost of new otter enclosure at Brooklands Zoo
Latest articles
Kosovo prepares a new draft law on renting prison cells to Denmark after the first proposal failed
Man shot in Sydney mall after reports of stabbings, police say
Australian farmers rip out millions of vines amid wine glut
'A disgrace': Families doing it tough after government cuts funding to food bank
College baseball notebook: Conference tournaments to decide NCAA automatic bids and many at
Wellington water: Threat of further restrictions recedes
LINKS
- China, Angola elevate bilateral ties
- Minister pledges to improve security of State benefits
- U.S. using Taiwan as 'pawn', says spokesperson
- Top adviser reaffirms opposition to 'Taiwan independence'
- U.S. using Taiwan as 'pawn', says spokesperson
- China applauds Arab League's adoption of China
- China slams India's tunnel inauguration in border area
- Chinese FM denounces 'freedom of speech' in U.S.
- China calls for high
- Palestinians seek unity with appointment of new PM