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☆ British Museum asks public to help recover stolen treasures
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The British Museum is appealing to the public in its efforts to recover some of the 2,000 artifacts it believes were stolen from its collections. “We’re dealing with lots of honest people who will return stolen items,” he told BBC Radio 4 last month. “Others may not.”The British Museum said it is working with experts, including "leading figures in the study of gems and jewelry,” to recover the stolen items. Founded in 1753, the British Museum is home to countless precious artifacts including the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon Sculptures. But we’re cleaning up the mess and we’re going to be that British museum that I think the nation and the world can be proud of.”

Persons: “, George Osborne, ”, Vuk Valcic, James Ratcliffe, Rosetta Stone, Osborne, Hartwig Fischer, ” Osborne, we’ve Organizations: CNN, British, BBC Radio, British Museum, London’s Metropolitan Police Locations: British, Danish

☆ British Museum appoints new interim director after theft crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters —Mark Jones was appointed as the new interim director at the British Museum on Wednesday as the institution seeks to restore its reputation following the theft of about 2,000 artifacts from its collection. Jones replaces German art historian Hartwig Fischer after he stepped down last month over failings in the investigation into the theft of artifacts at the museum. Jones, who previously held roles as director of the National Museums of Scotland and the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A), was appointed following approval by the British government. The British Museum houses the Parthenon sculptures, sometimes referred to in the UK as the Elgin Marbles. The British Museum initially said it had carried out a thorough investigation, but a follow-up probe found the first response to be insufficient, Osborne said last month.

Persons: Mark Jones, ” Jones, Jones, Hartwig Fischer, Stone, Toby Melville, Sir Mark Jones, George Osborne, Osborne Organizations: Reuters, British Museum, Museum, National Museums of, Victoria & Albert Museum, Elgin, British Locations: London, National Museums of Scotland, British, Danish

☆ A Scandal and Its Fallout Compound the British Museum’s Woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Alex Marshall | More About Alex Marshall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Visitors to the British Museum this week could be forgiven for thinking it was business as usual. In the museum’s Egyptian galleries, tourists jostled to get a closer look at the Rosetta Stone. Nearby, a teenager posed for a photo in front of a huge statue from Easter Island. Since news broke in August that an employee had been fired over the theft of potentially thousands of items from its storerooms, the British Museum has struggled to deal with the fallout, which is exacerbating challenges it already faced. At a time when it needs leadership most, the museum is rudderless, after its director, Hartwig Fischer, resigned on Aug. 25.

Persons: jostled, Hartwig Fischer, Tom Jamieson, shutdowns Organizations: British Museum, Rosetta, The New York Times Locations: Easter

☆ Recovery of about 2,000 items taken from British Museum is underway, chair says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The British Museum has begun recovering some items that were taken from the prestigious institution and sold online, museum chair George Osborne said on Saturday. “We’re dealing with lots of honest people who will return stolen items, others may not,” Osborne said. British Museum Chair George Osborne said there is "no excuse" for what happened. Danny Lawson/PA Images/Getty ImagesThe British Museum, founded in 1753, is one of the world’s most well-known and prestigious museums. But we’re cleaning up the mess and we’re going to be that British museum that I think the nation and the world can be proud of,” he said.

Persons: George Osborne, Osborne, ” Osborne, “, Danny Lawson, Stone, Hartwig Fischer, we’ve, ”, I’ve Organizations: CNN, British, BBC Radio, British Museum, British Empire . Museum Locations: Danish, British

☆ British Museum seeks recovery of some 2,000 stolen items
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] An employee poses as he views examples of the Parthenon sculptures, sometimes referred to in the UK as the Elgin Marbles, on display at the British Museum in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Around 2,000 artefacts including gold jewellery and gems had been stolen from the British Museum over a long period of time, but recovery efforts were already under way, the museum's chair George Osborne said on Saturday. Museum director Hartwig Fischer said on Friday he would step down after admitting to failings in its investigation into the theft of items from its collection. A "forensic" inquiry was being conducted to find out what had been stolen, Osborne said. "We've already started to recover some of the stolen items," he added, without giving any details of what had been recovered or how.

Persons: Toby Melville, George Osborne, Stone, Hartwig Fischer, Osborne, we're, I'm, Paul Sandle, David Holmes Organizations: Elgin, British Museum, REUTERS, BBC, Police, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, British

☆ A thief suspected of plundering treasures from the British Museum vaults for 20 years is a 'possible case of kleptomania,' police source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A suspected thief who plundered the British Museum for 20 years could be a kleptomaniac, says a report. Exquisite jewelry and ancient coins are among the world-famous museum's missing treasures. "Some of them would have been very, very valuable — tens of thousands of pounds — if it was known they were from the British Museum. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe British Museum was first alerted that several missing objects were being sold online years ago, The Times reported. The British Museum said, per The Times: "We take the issue of any missing items incredibly seriously.

Persons: Peter Higgs, Hartwig Fischer Organizations: British Museum, Service, Times, eBay, British, The Times Locations: Wall, Silicon, London

☆ British Museum director steps down amid theft investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —The director of the British Museum has stepped down amid an investigation into the alleged theft of gold and artifacts from the famous London institution. Explaining his decision in a statement on Friday, Fischer said: “Over the last few days I have been reviewing in detail the events around the thefts from the British Museum and the investigation into them. “The British Museum has launched an independent review of security after items from the collection were found to be missing, stolen or damaged. “The matter is also under investigation by the Economic Crime Command of the Metropolitan Police.”In a statement provided to CNN, the Metropolitan Police said: “We have been working alongside the British Museum. Fischer described the incident as “highly unusual,” while George Osborne, chair of the museum, said it was a “sad day for all who love our British Museum, but we’re determined to right the wrongs and use the experience to build a stronger Museum.”

Persons: Hartwig Fischer’s, Fischer, “, George Osborne, ” Organizations: London CNN, British Museum, Metropolitan Police, British, Economic, Command, CNN Locations: London

☆ British Museum director quits over stolen treasures
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A sign for the British Museum which houses the Parthenon sculptures is seen in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The director of the British Museum said on Friday he would step down after admitting to failings in its investigation into the theft of items from its collection. "It is evident that the British Museum did not respond as comprehensively as it should have," he said in a statement. Fischer said that he withdrew remarks made about the art dealer who first alerted museum bosses to the stolen items. Earlier this week, Fischer said Ittai Gradel, an antiquities dealer, withheld information about the scale of the stolen items when he contacted the museum.

Persons: Toby Melville, Hartwig Fischer, Fischer, Ittai Gradel, George Osborne, Osborne, Andrew MacAskill, Sachin Ravikumar, Angus MacSwan, Andrew Heavens Organizations: British, REUTERS, British Museum, Police, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ British Museum Director Resigns After Worker Fired for Theft
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Alex Marshall | More About Alex Marshall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Just days after the British Museum announced that it had fired an employee who was suspected of looting its storerooms and selling items on eBay, the museum’s director announced Friday that he was resigning, effective immediately. Hartwig Fischer, a German art historian who had led the world renowned institution since 2016, said in a news release that he was leaving the post at a time “of the utmost seriousness.”Mr. Fischer said that it was “evident” that under his leadership the museum did not adequately respond to warnings that a curator may be stealing items. “The responsibility for that failure must ultimately rest with the director,” Mr. Fischer said. The crisis became public when the British Museum announced last week that items had been stolen from its collection. The museum did not say how many items were taken, but said that the missing, stolen or damaged pieces included “gold jewelry and “gems of semi-precious stones and glass” dating from as far back as the 15th century B.C.

Persons: Hartwig Fischer, Mr, Fischer, ” Mr Organizations: British Museum, eBay

☆ British Museum director quits over stolen items
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A sign for the British Museum which houses the Parthenon sculptures is seen in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The director of the British Museum said on Friday he was stepping down with immediate effect after admitting to failings in the museum's investigation into the theft of items from its collection. "Over the last few days I have been reviewing in detail the events around the thefts from the British Museum and the investigation into them," he said in a statement. "It is evident that the British Museum did not respond as comprehensively as it should have." The museum's board of trustees, chaired by former British finance minister George Osborne, accepted Fischer's resignation.

Persons: Toby Melville, Hartwig Fischer, George Osborne, Osborne, Andrew MacAskill, Sachin Ravikumar Organizations: British, REUTERS, British Museum, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Police investigating staffer’s alleged theft of jewelry, artifacts from British Museum in London
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Radina Gigova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An employee at the British Museum has been dismissed — and the Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation — after a number of items from the museum’s collection were found to be “missing, stolen or damaged,” the museum said in a statement Wednesday. “The British Museum has launched an independent review of security after items from the collection were found to be missing, stolen or damaged. A member of staff has been dismissed, and the Museum will now be taking legal action against the individual,” the museum said. “The matter is also under investigation by the Economic Crime Command of the Metropolitan Police.”“We have been working alongside the British Museum. The Trustees have taken decisive action to deal with the situation, working with the team at the Museum,” said George Osborne, chair of the British Museum.

Persons: —, “, ”, Hartwig Fischer, ” Fischer, ” “, George Osborne, Osborne, ” Osborne Organizations: CNN, British Museum, Metropolitan Police, British, Economic, Command, Museum Locations: British

☆ British Museum sacks member of staff over missing and stolen items
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A sign for the British Museum which houses the Parthenon sculptures is seen in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - The British Museum said on Wednesday a member of staff had been dismissed after items from its collection, including gold jewellery and gems, had been found to be missing, stolen or damaged. None of the items had recently been on public display and were kept primarily for academic and research purposes, it added. I know I speak for all colleagues when I say that we take the safeguarding of all the items in our care extremely seriously," said Hartwig Fischer, Director of the British Museum. The museum's chair, former finance minister George Osborne, Chair of the British Museum, said the trustees were extremely concerned when they had learnt of the theft "earlier this year".

Persons: Toby Melville, Hartwig Fischer, George Osborne, Kylie MacLellan, Barbara Lewis Organizations: British, REUTERS, Metropolitan Police, British Museum, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Yilin Wang: British Museum agrees to pay translator whose work it used without permission
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The museum later admitted it had “inadvertently omitted” these steps and apologized, removing Wang’s translations and the original poetry from the exhibition. She said this was an important step in recognizing the often invisible, complex work of translators. The British Museum’s director Hartwig Fischer reached out soon after, she said. A depiction of the unified Qing empire in the British Museum's "China's hidden century" exhibition, seen on May 18, 2023. “She was a queer feminist poet whose work has been kind of overlooked in translation,” Wang said.

Persons: Yilin, Qiu Jin, Wang, “ I’m, ”, “, Wang wasn’t, M.C, ” Wang, James Manning, Hartwig Fischer Organizations: CNN, British Museum, ARMY, British Locations: Vancouver, British

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