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Another item has gone missing from the British Museum, except this time the object in question was taken by a Brazilian conceptual artist
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 23 Jul 2024
Artist Ilê Sartuzi stole the coin in a stunt to highlight the number of foreign objects held in the British Museum Credit: Ilê Sartuzi
Less than a year after thousands of items were found to have gone missing from the British Museum, an artist from Brazil has taken a historical coin from a display case and replaced it with a fake.
According to conceptual artist Ilê Sartuzi, the stunt, which he filmed, was part of an art project highlighting the large number of foreign objects the British Museum holds.
Sartuzi revealed that he got the idea after a museum volunteer allowed visitors to handle certain objects as part of their experience.
The coin dates back to 1645 and was minted in Newark, England. The artefact is not part of the museum’s database but is part of its handling collection, which was created to offer visitors the chance to touch historical objects under the supervision of volunteers.
Creating a diversion, Sartuzi swapped out the coin for a replica fake. According to the artist, he chose the object because “it is one of the few British things in the British Museum”.
On his way out of the museum, he then deposited the original coin into the museum’s collection box.
Sartuzi revealed that the plan had been in the works for more than a year, with the video made as part of his Master’s Degree submission at Goldsmiths, University of London.
“This is a disappointing and derivative act that abuses a volunteer-led service aimed at giving visitors the opportunity to handle real items and engage with history,” said a museum spokesperson. “Services like this rely on a basic level of human decency and trust, and it would be a shame to have to review the provision of these services due to actions like this.”
The museum added that it would be informing the police about the incident. Sartuzi says his actions do not violate museum policies prohibiting the handling of objects or removal from the premises, nor do they fall under the Theft Act of 1968.
The British Museum is currently facing a number of issues, including regular protests against the British Museum’s partnership with oil giant BP, calls to return historically contested artefacts from around the world, and a scandal surrounding thousands of artefacts found to have been stolen from the museum.
Earlier this year, the museum named a permanent successor to its interim director Sir Mark Jones, with Nicholas Cullinan taking up the position full-time.
Museums and galleries
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