The German director of the British Museum, Hartwig Fischer, is resigning early over the recently revealed series of thefts at his home.
Fischer did not want to give up his position until 2024 – “after eight successful years at the head of the house,” a statement said at the end of July. Now it’s over “effective immediately,” as the house announced. Fischer stated that he would resign from management as soon as an interim solution was found.
Shortly thereafter, the museum announced that deputy director Jonathan Williams would voluntarily resign pending an independent investigation, effective immediately. The German culture manager was doomed by a hitherto unknown series of thefts that became public last week. According to the British Museum, several items had been stolen or damaged. This includes gold jewellery, jewelery made of semi-precious stones and glass. According to the information, some of the objects date from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD.
Former employee under suspicion
A former employee who was fired in connection with the incidents has come under suspicion and legal action has been taken against him. Police say a man has been questioned in connection with the incident. Initially, however, no arrest was made.
New details came to light almost every day. According to media reports, over a thousand items have been stolen over a period of several years. In addition, there would have been indications as early as 2021 – for example, that objects from the museum were offered for sale on an online auction platform. However, the information was not taken seriously.
Fischer was defiant at first and seemed to want to shift the blame. It is “frustrating” that the whistleblower has not provided more information in 2021. “Only a small number of objects were retrieved and our investigation showed that all of these objects were present,” said the museum manager. Now he expressed his regret about this announcement and retracted it.
One of the most important museums in the world
The British Museum in London is one of the most important museums in the world. It houses some of humanity’s most important cultural treasures. These include a significant portion of the Parthenon sculptures, the Rosetta Stone, and Egyptian mummies.
The museum is in an extremely serious situation, said Fischer. “I honestly believe it will get through this moment and come out stronger. But unfortunately I have come to the conclusion that my presence does not help. That’s the last thing I want.”
Before his post in London, Fischer had directed important German museums. From 2006 he was director of the Museum Folkwang in Essen. In 2012 he became director general of the Dresden State Art Collections. Then he was called to London. At the end of July, he announced that he wanted to step down from the post in 2024 and announced that he wanted to “go beyond the institutional framework of a single museum” in a new role in the future.
Source: Krone
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