British Museum

Art

Stories of an Assyrian King and What Became of His Empire

A new exhibition at the British Museum underscores the material remains associated with the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal, and their display alludes to Britain’s long and fraught history with Iraq.

In Brief

Easter Islanders Are Visiting British Museum to Request Repatriation of Ancestral Heritage

"For us [the statue] is a brother; but for them it is a souvenir or an attraction,” said a member of the Easter Island development commission, Anakena Manutomatoma.

News

Anti-BP Protesters Sip Oily Champagne in Satirical Performance at the British Museum

Performers dressed as BP employees sipped oil-contaminated champagne, and protesters displayed facts about BP's exploitation of Iraqi resources.

News

A BP Oil Protest Spills Through the British Museum’s Protest Exhibition

BP or not BP? gathered in opposition of oil giant BP’s financial stake at the British Museum, accusing the company of bolstering its political positioning through its arts investments.

In Brief

Easter Islanders Ask British Museum to Return Sacred Statue, Offering Replica in Return

The Rapa Nui community has offered a basalt replica of the eight-foot, four-ton sculpture called Hoa Hakananai’a, which was stolen in 1868.

Art

Plumbing the Depths of Rodin's Classical Influences

Rodin's work is currently on display at the British Museum, with a number of photographs and sculptures included in the exhibition, the main draw being the Parthenon marbles.

Opinion

Museums Should Consider Why They’ve Become Targets of Attack and Protest

A terror plot targeting the British Museum was recently thwarted, but the reasons why it became a target in the first place go far beyond the current political climate.

News

World’s Oldest Figural Tattoos Found on Two Ancient Egyptian Mummies

The 5,000-year-old mummies, which have been at the British Museum, have tattoos of a wild bull, sheep, and alphabet-like motifs.

News

New Dossier Shows British Museum Had a Role in Dealings Between BP and Russia

Newly public emails show correspondence between the museum, Russia's London embassy, British officials, and BP.

Art

How a Fake Monster Crept Into our Museums

The Fiji Mermaid was an object of fantasy but for a long time it was on display as a specimen that many people believed was real.

In Brief

British Museum Uploads 3D Model of the Rosetta Stone

Now you can examine the 196 BCE stone stela in all its textural glory.

Art

Hokusai’s “Great Wave” Was Only a Drop in the Bucket

Already fully accomplished by his fifties in a range of styles, from his sixties Katsushika Hokusai’s paintings and prints begin to accelerate in ambition and sophistication, leaping between styles and subjects.