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British Museum director Hartwig Fischer will be stepping down from his position with immediate effect, it has been announced.
The museum’s board of trustees accepted his resignation, with former chancellor George Osborne, chairman of trustees saying Fischer had “acted honourably” and that “no one has ever doubted Hartwig’s integrity, his dedication to his job, or his love for the museum.”
It comes after a member of staff was sacked from the museum after emerged last week that items from its collection were found to be “missing, stolen or damaged”, prompting a police investigation.
Items including gold jewellery, gems of semi-precious stones and glass were taken from the museum before 2023 and over a “significant” period of time.
A man has been interviewed by Metropolitan Police over the thefts, the force said on Thursday, but no arrests have been made.
Emails leaked to BBC News claim the museum was alerted by an antiquities dealer to items being sold on eBay in 2021 and ignored the report.
Hartwig Fischer said the museum had taken concerns two years ago about a small number of items “seriously”.
But the British Museum director has now admitted that the museum “did not respond as comprehensively as it should have in response to the warnings in 2021.”
He said in a statement: “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. 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.
“The responsibility for that failure must ultimately rest with the director. I also misjudged the remarks I made earlier this week about Dr Gradel. I wish to express my sincere regret and withdraw those remarks.
“I have offered my resignation to the chairman of the trustees, and will step down as soon as the board have established an interim leadership arrangement. This will remain in place until a new director is chosen.
“The situation facing the museum is of the utmost seriousness. I sincerely believe it will come through this moment and emerge stronger, but sadly I have come to the conclusion that my presence is proving a distraction.
“That is the last thing I would want. Over the last seven years I have been privileged to work with some of the most talented and dedicated public servants. The British Museum is an amazing institution, and it has been the honour of my life to lead it.”
The museum has not specified how many items have been stolen or detailed what the missing items are, saying only that they are “small pieces” dating from the “15th century BC to the 19th century AD”.
However, the number of the stolen items is now believed to be “well over 1,000″ and “closer to 2,000”, with a value running into “millions of pounds”, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Items had reportedly been disappearing for several years, although it is understood that they were stored items rather than those on display.
Hartwig Fischer, a German art historian, has been director of the British Museum since 2016.
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