British Museum director resigns over suspected thefts

Hartwig Fischer, a German art historian and director of the British Museum, has stepped down following alleged thefts of artefacts worth millions of pounds from the London institution.

Stressing his presence was “proving a distraction”, Fischer said the museum evidently “did not respond as comprehensively as it should have” in response to “warnings in 2021”.

It was later announced Jonathan Williams, the institution’s deputy director, would “voluntarily step back from his normal duties.”

‘Evidence Ignored For Two Years’

That will be the case until an independent investigation into the alleged thefts of artefacts has concluded, the museum said.

A senior curator was earlier sacked after almost 2,000 valuable items were believed to have been stolen. Dr Ittai Gradel had concerns and had tried to warn the institution about them.

Stressing it has been a difficult period, the Roman antiquities expert said Fischer had “done the right thing … and he deserves credit for that at least.”

Keep Reading

Gradel Accepts Fischer’s Apology

In his resignation statement, the museum director said he had “misjudged” some remarks he made about Gradel, expressing his sincere regret and wish to withdraw the comments.

The antiquities expert said he had considered seeking legal advice but said Fischer has now “apologised to me and I accept that.”

Highlighting their resolve “to fix what has gone wrong”, George Osborne, who chairs the museum’s trustees, said “no one has ever doubted Hartwig’s … dedication to his job.”

Desk Writer

Spends most of the time reading news all around the world. Strong knowledge and understanding of the current situation and happenings in the ASEAN region.

Recent Posts

V Surprises ARMY with Two Holiday Releases: A Festive Collab with Park Hyo-shin and “White Christmas” Cover

For K-pop fans, the Christmas season this year has become even more magical as several of their preferred stars reveal…

November 22, 2024

Celine Names TWS as Global Ambassadors Following Suzy Bae Announcement

After Suzy Bae's nomination as Celine's worldwide ambassador, the venerable French luxury fashion company has taken another bold step choosing…

November 22, 2024

Reddit Faces Widespread Outage, Users Turn to Workarounds Amid ‘Server Error’ Messages

Thousands of users of the well-known social network Reddit were left without access after a major outage of the website.…

November 22, 2024

Anne Hathaway Casted as ‘Verity’ in Colleen Hoover’s Book Adaptation

Anne Hathaway is slated to play the much expected film version of Colleen Hoover's best-selling book Verity in front of…

November 21, 2024

Gucci Set to Revolutionize Fashion Presentations with Unified Shows in 2025 under Sabato De Sarno’s Vision

Gucci is ready to change its presentation approach for 2025 in a radical action aimed to revolutionize the fashion industry.…

November 21, 2024

South Korea’s “Korea Discount”: Addressing the Governance Gap to Boost Market Value

As world investors wait for significant changes that might solve long-standing problems of governance and responsibility in South Korea's companies,…

November 21, 2024

This website uses cookies.

Read More