News
British Museum Will Move Bust of its Founding Donor, a Colonialist and Slaveowner
Sir Hans Sloane’s bust will be moved from prominent display to a secure cabinet alongside artifacts explaining his work in the context of the British empire.
British Museum
Opinion
Addressing the British Museum’s Colonial History and Hollow Solidarity With Black Lives
“I am disappointed that it took the death of an unarmed Black man for you to join the conversation about the colonial past and present of the British Museum,” says Bayryam Mustafa Bayryamali in a letter addressed to director Hartwig Fischer.
News
Anti-Oil Activists Stage Largest Protest Yet at British Museum, With Trojan Horse in Tow
Hundreds of activists occupied the British Museum for a protest lasting over two days straight, coinciding with the BP-sponsored exhibition Troy: Myth and Reality.
In Brief
Two Treasure Hunters Headed to Jail After Concealing Their Discovery of Viking Treasure Trove
The metal detector enthusiasts, along with two coin dealers who assisted in selling the concealed find, have all been sentenced to up to 10 years in jail. The collection is worth an estimated $15.4 million.
Art
When the West Dreamt of Odalisques
Inspired by the East: How the Islamic World Influenced Western Art is a giant teaching aid of a fairly solid and dependable kind, but one that does not quite push far enough.
News
Activists Dressed as Trojan Figures Crash Opening of BP-Funded Exhibition
Activist group BP or not BP? interrupted the opening of Troy: Myth and Reality at the British Museum, dressed as “living statues," including a character of their own invention, “Petroleus.”
In Brief
China Sides with Greece Over Return of Parthenon Marbles
President Xi Jinping, expressed his support of Greece's request to win back the 2,500-year-old friezes after 30 years of British refusal.
News
This Is What the World's First Travel Guide Looks Like
This first edition of the 15th-century book Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam features the first accurate printed illustrations of Jerusalem and Venice, among other cities.
News
Anti-Oil Protesters Will Storm the British Museum with a Trojan Horse
BP or not BP? launched a crowdfunding campaign to build a giant Trojan Horse for its largest protest yet, which will coincide with the museum's Troy: Myth and Reality exhibition.
Art
The Challenges of Displaying Manga in a Museum Context
Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering the exhibition’s generic name, in trying to be everything to everyone, it’s hard for Manga to satisfy anyone.
In Brief
British Museum Workers Issue Statement in Support of Trustee Who Resigned
Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union Culture Group have expressed their solidarity with Ahdaf Soueif, who recently resigned from the board and cited the museum’s endorsement of the oil company BP, its silence on the restitution of cultural artifacts, and labor issues as reasons
Art
The Limits of Edvard Munch's Radicalism
What remains unspoken in the British Museum's Love and Angst is the ways Munch's dark emotions frequently came to target the women in his life.