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