George Osborne disclosed that around 2,000 antiquities are suspected to have been taken from the British Museum, although recovery of some of them has begun.
The ex-chancellor acknowledged that the museum’s image had been damaged but stated that “it is a mess that we will clean up.”
A top specialist said that in plundered antiquities, the number of things stolen from the museum is “mind-boggling.”
A museum employee suspected of participation has been fired.
And, on Friday, it was reported that Hartwig Fischer, the museum’s director, will resign immediately after admitting that a 2021 probe was mismanaged.
The museum, one of the most prominent cultural organisations in the United Kingdom, has been under fire since it was revealed earlier this month that a number of masterpieces were reported “missing, stolen, or damaged.”
The artefacts in question ranged in period from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD and were largely retained for scholarly and research purposes.
Mr. Osborne, who was named chair in June 2021, said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We believe we have been the victim of thefts over a long period of time, and frankly, more could have been done to prevent them.”
When asked where the lost objects had been found, he stated that “some members of the antiquarian community are actively cooperating with us” and that the recoveries thus far were a “silver lining to a dark cloud.”
He expressed confidence that “honest people” would return stolen stuff but admitted that “others may not.”
The British Museum, founded in 1753, has acquired a collection of around eight million pieces, but as of 2019, only approximately 80,000 were on public display, with the remainder maintained in storage.
Mr. Osborne stated that not all of the goods were “properly catalogued and registered” and that “someone with knowledge of what is not registered has a big advantage in removing” them.
Mr. Osborne stated that the museum is collaborating closely with the police and that a “forensic job” is underway to determine exactly what was lost. He stated that the museum’s security needs to be strengthened.
“It has undoubtedly harmed the British Museum’s reputation, to state the obvious, and that is why I’m apologising on its behalf,” Mr. Osborne continued.
Detectives from the Metropolitan Police have interrogated a guy in connection with the missing items, but no arrests have been made.
Senior museum officials have hurried to explain how they handled the discovery of stolen artefacts after it was revealed that concerns about potential thefts were expressed two years ago.
Mr. Osborne stated that “more could have been done” when concerns about theft were raised in February 2021.
When asked why they were not taken seriously, he stated that he did not believe there was a “cover-up” at the museum’s top, but that it was “possible” that “groupthink” among senior personnel meant they “could not believe that there was an insider” taking artefacts.
The crimes were classified as the worst in modern history by Christos Tsirogiannis, a forensic archaeologist who leads a UNESCO panel committed to illicit antiquities trafficking.
“It is by far the biggest theft I know about from a museum, especially for one of this calibre,” he told reporters.
“It’s a massive amount for any museum, but this happening at the British Museum makes it even worse.”
‘Disaster on the horizon’
Dr. Tsirogiannis urged the archives to publish a list of what is missing as soon as possible so that professionals may assist with the search.
“I don’t have any evidence to start checking,” he stated. They are limiting the hands of specialists who should be assisting by not providing a list of what is lacking. I wish I could assist, but I am unable.”
Mr. Osborne told reporters that the museum was collaborating closely with the police, who were “the only people” who could place a list of stolen objects on Interpol, as well as the Art Loss Register, a stolen item registry.
In the Guardian, Professor Dan Hicks, curator of Oxford University’s Pitt Rivers Museum, lambasted the British Museum’s record-keeping, stating “this was a disaster waiting to happen.”
Mr. Osborne acknowledged that not all of the artefacts in the British archives possession had been properly registered.
He claimed that a huge institution not fully cataloguing its whole collection was “not unique and that it “was ahead of many of the big museums in doing this work.”
Dr. Tsirogiannis said the “primary responsibility of a museum” is to document things. He said that the British archives made a “deliberate decision to invest money in glossy catalogues and events while failing to record their objects.”
Mr. Fischer, who has been director since 2016, said on Friday that he would step down once a temporary replacement was named.
Previously, the museum’s director was set to retire in 2024.
He also apologized for “misjudged” statements in which he said the antiquities merchant who raised the initial suspicions in 2021 concealed information about the missing pieces.
Deputy director Jonathan Williams, who was involved in the 2021 inquiry, will take a leave of absence from his regular duties until the archives independent assessment is completed.
The controversy has raised concerns about the British archives position as an institution that houses artefacts from all around the world.
