Category: theft

‘In August 2023, the British Museum issued a press release that set hares running in the art world. Two thousand assets from its permanent collection had been stolen or damaged. Some, it transpired, had gone missing in plain sight. This prompted a fast-moving review into the Museum’s security apparatus, resulting in the resignation of its director and the dismissal of members of staff implicated in a programme of digital heists. But most notable, perhaps, was the ire of public scrutiny that was raised in the wake of the scandal: how did the Museum drop the ball so critically that the security and integrity of its entire collection came to be compromised? The seriousness of the matter was compounded, no doubt, by the fact that the provenance of scores of the stolen pieces derived from other civilisations. As such, a decades-old debate has now reignited concerning the moral basis for the acquisition and continued custodianship over foreign cultural treasures.’

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Counsel, 19th February 2024

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk