Thefts by employees at cultural institutions is an “unspoken problem in the sector”, according to museum workers and experts in the recovery of stolen artefacts.
The comments come after the British Museum in London sacked a member of staff and started an independent review of security after items from its collection were reported “missing, stolen or damaged”.
In a statement, the museum said it will be taking legal action against the employee and the Met Police’s Economic Crime Command is investigating. Hartwig Fischer, the museum’s director, said the incident is “highly unusual”.
George Osborne, the British Museum’s chair, said: “It’s a sad day for all who love our British Museum, but we’re determined to right the wrongs and use the experience to build a stronger museum.”
Museum sector “institutionally corrupt”
Speaking to the Guardian, a former staffer at a well-known London museum has now said the sector is “institutionally corrupt” and that “cherished items” donated to the institution were sometimes quietly sold to collectors or small auction houses.
“Not all people who work in museums are on the take, far from it, but it’s an unspoken problem in the sector,” the employee said, adding that they have been “shocked at what goes on”.
Another museum worker told the publication: “It would be easy to take something small without it being noticed for quite a while.”
Arthur Brand, a Dutch investigator who has recovered stolen items worth up to £340m from around the world, said: “Every museum in the world has been a victim of theft.
“This is nothing new”
“Sometimes it’s only when they start to catalogue items that they find hundreds or even thousands are missing.
“This is nothing new – it’s been going on since the beginning of collecting. But in this case it’s the British Museum and apparently a senior collector, so it’s something special.”
Christopher Marinello, founder of Art Recovery International, told the BBC that artefact thefts happen “every single day around the world”.
