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☆ The Met, the Louvre and the British Museum Should Never Have Hoarded Looted Artifacts - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Jason Felch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

These revelations have shaken the staid museum world and raised important questions about security, record keeping and funding priorities. The British Museum must use this scandal as an opportunity to update the dusty notion of the so-called universal museum — rethinking how these institutions can exist in a 21st-century world where the sharing and blending of cultures has never been more crucial. Rather than resisting calls to repatriate contested objects in their collections, museums should be transparent about their holdings and how they were acquired. They should embark on a campaign of generous, long-term loans that allows objects to circulate freely across borders. This is an opportunity to radically reimagine the mission and purpose of the universal museum — places like the Metropolitan Museum, the Louvre, the Prado and the British Museum — and what they owe to the world.

Persons: Prado Organizations: British, Metropolitan Museum, British Museum —

☆ Why these Korean moon jars sell for millions at auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

‘Owning a piece of happiness’The first moon jars were created in the royal kilns in Gwangju (a city just outside Seoul, not the larger southern city of the same name) from 1650 to 1750. A modern-day moon jar made by South Korean potter Kwon Dae Sup, who said: "To appreciate a moon jar properly, you should look beyond its simple shape. He works out of a studio in Gwangju, where the royal kilns that produced moon jars were once located. Moon Duk Gwan/Axel Vervoordt GalleryKwon Dae Sup lifts a large moon jar into a kiln. Moon Duk Gwan/Courtesy Axel Vervoordt GalleryThere’s a great deal of preparation that goes into making a moon jar traditionally.

Persons: Alain de Botton, London’s Victoria, Beth McKillop, ”, Angela McAteer, “ You’ve, it’s, Yanagi Soetsu, Bernard Leach, Leach, Lucie Rie, Charlotte Horlyck, Sotheby’s, Kwon Dae, Axel Vervoordt, Choi Sunu, South Korea’s, Yu Woo, you’ve, Mark, Rothko, “, Ceramist Kim Syyong, Yun, Choi Bo Ram’s, Kwon, Duk Gwan, Duk, There’s, ” Kwon, Axel Vervoodt Organizations: CNN, Albert Museum, British Museum, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, University of London’s School of Oriental, African Studies, Art Bulletin, National Museum of, BTS Locations: New York, Americas, Europe, Gwangju, Seoul, British, South Korean, National Museum of Korea, ”, South, Korean

☆ 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

☆ Human ancestors nearly died out 900,000 years ago, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Ancient humanity was almost wiped out about 900,000 years ago when the global population dwindled to around 1,280 reproducing individuals, according to a new study. What’s more, the population of early human ancestors stayed this small for about 117,000 years. The population bottleneck coincided with dramatic changes in climate during what’s known as the mid-Pleistocene transition, the research team suggested. While ancient DNA has revolutionized our understanding about past populations, the oldest DNA from a human species dates to around 400,000 years ago. “The proposed bottleneck needs to be tested against human and archaeological evidence,” they added.

Persons: ”, Yi, Nick Ashton, Chris Stringer, Ashton, Stringer, “ Organizations: CNN, East China Normal University, British Museum Locations: China, Italy, United States, Israel, London, Africa, what’s, Kenya, Ethiopia, Spain, United Kingdom

☆ 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

☆ Deadly blaze in South Africa, recycling fast fashion and the British Museum’s theft scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dozens of people are dead after a fire at a building in Johannesburg. The British Museum’s theft scandal is reigniting calls for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece. Fast fashion tries to tackle its waste problem. Plus, Florida cleans up after Idalia and UBS warns of 3,000 job cuts. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices.

Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, UBS, Thomson, Reading, Museum, Credit Suisse Locations: Johannesburg, British, Greece, Florida, Reading Johannesburg

☆ 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 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

☆ 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 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 Was Warned Gems Were Being Sold on eBay, Emails Show
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Alex Marshall | More About Alex Marshall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In 2021, British Museum officials were alerted to a potential thief in their ranks. That year, Ittai Gradel, a Denmark-based dealer in ancient gems, contacted the august London institution with evidence that he said showed that three gems from the museum’s collections had been offered for sale on eBay. Museum officials were already aware that something was up with one of those artifacts. Another dealer, Malcolm Hay, had gotten in touch to say he had bought one of the gems but was concerned it was stolen. The thief must have been someone inside the institution, Mr. Gradel said in an email to the British Museum that has been obtained by The New York Times.

Persons: Ittai, Malcolm Hay, Gradel, untoward Organizations: British, eBay ., British Museum, The New York Times, The Times Locations: Denmark, London

☆ Jewelry worth up to $63,000 was stolen from one of the world's top museums and sold on eBay for as little as $50, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Several jewelry items worth up to $63,000 were stolen from the British Museum in London. A museum curator suspected of being behind the thefts was fired, and police are investigating. Some of the items were worth up to £50,000, or approximately $63,000, and were listed on eBay for as little as £40, or $50, according to British newspaper The Telegraph. An independent review is underway to establish what is missing, attempting to recover the missing items and preventing future thefts. A spokesman for the British Museum told the paper: "We have conducted a thorough investigation, identified the person we believe to be responsible, and that person has been dismissed.

Persons: Peter Higgs, Higgs, Greg, Greg Higgs, He's, I've, Nobody, Martin Henig Organizations: British Museum, eBay, Service, British, Telegraph, The Telegraph, University of Oxford Locations: London, Wall, Silicon

☆ British Museum Fires Employee After Gems, Gold Jewelry Stolen
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Joseph Pisani | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/british-museum-fires-employee-after-gems-gold-jewelry-stolen-41066bd9

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ 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 Fires Worker Accused of Stealing Gold and Gems
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Alex Marshall | More About Alex Marshall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The British Museum has fired a staff member on suspicion of looting jewels from a storeroom and started a review of its security practices, the museum announced Wednesday. The worker, who has not been named, stole or damaged items including gold jewelry and “gems of semi-precious stones and glass” dating from the 15th century B.C. to the 19th century A.D., the museum said in a news release. The museum said that the majority of the items were small pieces kept in a storeroom. None had recently been on public display, the museum said, adding that “they were kept primarily for academic and research purposes.”

Organizations: 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

☆ A ‘Digital Heist’ Recaptures the Rosetta Stone
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Farah Nayeri | More About Farah Nayeri | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a recent afternoon, Nwaubani, just back from the fort in Rashid, stood before the 2,200-year-old Rosetta Stone in London. “I don’t like being here,” he said, motioning at the slab and surrounding statues and sarcophagi in the British Museum’s Egyptian sculpture gallery. The AR installation in Rashid will offer visitors a high-definition image of the stone, with detailed descriptions in Arabic and English, a translation of the stone’s inscriptions and an account of how the artifact left Egypt. By making virtual replicas of looted treasures, he was shifting some of the attention to the digital space — a “new landscape,” he said, where “laws have not caught up. No one is colonizing digital space.

Persons: Rosetta Stone, “, ”, motioning, I’ve, Rashid Locations: Rashid, London, British, Egypt

☆ 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

☆ Could the curse of Tutankhamun’s tomb be caused by fungi?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Rumors of a curse have persisted since Howard Carter and others found Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922. But because he'd been present at the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb a few months prior, rumors of a curse started to swirl. But dozens of Egyptian laborers contributed physical and skilled labor to excavate Tutankhamun's tomb. As the decades passed, some scientists wondered if there was something deadly lurking in Tutankhamun's tomb: fungi. Egyptian carpenters prepare to reseal Tutankhamun's tomb with Howard Carter circa 1923.

Persons: Howard Carter, Lord Carnarvon, he'd, King, Carter, Carter's, Tutankhamun, George Herbert , 5th Earl of Carnarvon, LiveScience, Lord Carnarvon's, Susie, Carnarvon, Evelyn Herbert, Harry Burton, Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Carnarvon's, Sir Ernest A, Wallis Budge, George Jay Gould, Philip Livingston Poe, Edgar Allen Poe, Richard Bethell, Howard, King Tutankhamun, Apic, Ali Kamel Fahmy Bey, Frank McClanahan Organizations: Service, New York Times, British Museum, Savoy, Harvard University, Hulton, Safety Locations: Wall, Silicon, British, Luxor, Egypt, Cairo, Hampshire, England, London, Aspergillosis

One man was wounded in a stabbing outside the British Museum in central London on Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police said, adding that it was an isolated incident and that a suspect had been arrested. The incident occurred at about 10 a.m. near the front entrance of the museum, one of London’s most popular tourist attractions. By midday, there was a heavy police presence outside the museum, and several nearby restaurants had closed. A line of several hundred people formed around the block as they waited for the museum to reopen. The British Museum, which had more than four million visits last year, said in a statement that it had increased security.

Organizations: British Museum, Metropolitan Police Locations: London

☆ Translating Tolstoy While Inciting Revolution
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Jennifer Wilson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Over time, Garnett’s detractors would make her out to be a prim and proper smotherer of the wild (male) Russian soul. In Russia, the abolition of serfdom was part of a series of reforms meant to stave off revolution. Stepniak wrote a profile of Zasulich for his book “Underground Russia” (1882), a study of the country’s new revolutionaries. In England, “Underground Russia” was a smash hit, going through three printings the year it was translated. In a 1991 biography of Constance, Richard Garnett, the pair’s grandson, writes that “the young lovers had a row about Land Nationalization.”

Persons: prim, Nabokov, Gogol, “, Kornei Chukovsky, Garnett, Stepniak, ”, uncouth, Constance Black, Alexander II, Ivan Turgenev’s, Vera Zasulich, Zasulich, Russia ”, Clementina, Eleanor Marx, Karl’s, William Morris’s, Edward Garnett, Edward, Constance, Richard Garnett Organizations: British Museum, Russia, Fabian Society Locations: Russian, Soviet, Crimean, Russia, Brighton, St . Petersburg, Europe, England, London

☆ British Museum apologizes after using translator's work in China exhibition without pay or acknowlegment
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —When the British Museum launched its “China’s hidden century” exhibition last month, writer and translator Yilin Wang began getting confusing messages from her peers. No, Wang replied: She’d never been contacted by the museum, which used her work without permission, pay or acknowledgment. It added that “China’s hidden century” had involved more than 400 people from 20 countries, and that those involved had “spent years, together with scholars worldwide,” putting it all together. A British Museum worker pictured in the "China's hidden century" exhibition ahead of its public opening. The British Museum did not respond immediately to CNN’s request for comment.

Persons: Yilin Wang, Qiu Jin, Wang, —, She’d, “, James Manning, ”, It’s, NameTheTranslator, …, ” Wang Organizations: CNN, British Museum, Twitter, Museum, British, UK’s Arts, Humanities Research, “, Google Locations: London, Qing China, British

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