British Museum director Hartwig Fischer resigns over mismanagement after theft of valuable artefacts

Director of the British Museum Hartwig Fischer resignedon Friday (August 25) after a series of blunders and failings in its investigation into the theft of numerous items from its collections. The incidents, as per British media reports, have caused international embarrassment and prompted questions about the museum’s systemic failures.

Why did Fischer resign?

Fischer, a German art historian who had led the museum since 2016, announced last month that he planned to step down after his eight-year stint.

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He admitted that his response to the warnings that an employee may have been stealing items should have been better and that the failings “must ultimately” rest with him.

“It is evident that the British Museum did not respond as comprehensively as it should have,” said Fischer.

Notably, in an earlier statement the British Museum said that Fischer would step down “with immediate effect,” but later changed it to say that he would resign once an interim leader had been found.

What was the case all about?

Last week, a member of staff had been dismissed after gold jewellery and gems dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD, had been found stolen from a storeroom in the museum. It also was found that items from the museum’s collection were found to be “missing, stolen or damaged” prompting a police investigation.

The police on Thursday (August 24), said that they had interviewed but not charged the unnamed man over the stolen artefacts. Fischer accepted the responsibility for the museum’s failure to respond to warnings about possible theft of thousands of objects in 2021.

“It is evident that the British Museum did not respond as comprehensively as it should have in response to the warnings in 2021, and to the problem that has now fully emerged,” he said, in the statement.

Fischer’s resignation also comes days after he defended the museum’s handling of warnings from an author, academic and antiquities dealer, Ittai Gradel who had raised alarm about the stolen items.

Gradel also went on to dismiss claims by Fischer who said that the concerns were raised about a “small number of items”. He accused the museum of treating him like a “village idiot” and welcomed Fischer’s resignation, reported the Guardian.

According to Gradel’s estimates, up to 2,000 items could have been stolen, including the entire collection of unregistered gems. “They have been lying there without any registration at all for over 200 years,” he told the Guardian.

“If they can’t be identified how can they return them to the museum.” This was amid concerns about the absence of proper record-keeping at the British Museum.

Fischer also said that he later withdrew remarks made about the antiquities dealer and expressed “sincere regret” over the “misjudged” comments.

(With inputs from agencies)

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