Geraldine Kendall Adams wrote on 16 May, in the Museums Journal that British Museum Director, Nicholas Cullinan has ruled out restitution as he outlines plans to foster collaboration. 

In an interview with The Times, Nicholas Cullinan said he had no plans to change the museum’s policy against permanently deaccessioning artefacts, which would require an act of parliament.

“I could make lobbying to get the act changed my sole focus but that seems mad, and it may not be the right thing,” he told the newspaper.

“I’m keenly aware that whatever I do future generations will debate, so I feel more comfortable with loaning items. This collection has been formed over three centuries. It is the world’s greatest collection. I don’t see my job as undoing that.”

Cullinan, who has been in the role for just over a year, said the museum had built strong partnerships around the world, and saw its future in “collaboration”.

He said: “The British Museum is about connecting countries rather than putting up barriers. This is a global museum for everyone and we’re not going to be embarrassed about that any more. We are going to foster collaboration around the world.”

Referencing the museum’s most famous and long-running restitution dispute, the Parthenon marbles, he described the sculptures as “talismanic objects of the British Museum” and said that, while the museum doesn’t shy away from the fact that they are in dispute, “we need to be balanced rather than inflammatory”.

Cullinan gave his backing to the proposed plan for the museum to form a lending arrangement with Greece, which is still under negotiation, saying it would be a partnership that would “build in trust and depth”.

“Plans are taking shape,” he said. “We’d love an innovative partnership with Greece where we would lend things and they would lend things back, and we can share knowledge and opportunity rather than debate ownership.”

Cullinan's comments on the Parthenon sculptures have been criticised by the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles.

In a letter responding to the remarks, which was published in part by The Times, the committee's members wrote that it had been “dismaying to read the implications of the director's description of the sculptures as 'talismanic objects of this museum'”, saying “a talisman is something that brings good luck. How can stolen goods bring good fortune to any institution?”

The letter added: “Simply in terms of diplomacy, we believe it would be a tragic error to position these disputed sculptures at the centre of the 'reimagining' of the museum. This reimagining should surely be excited rather by the prospect of showing off wonderful objects never seen before in the UK, promised by Greece once returned.

“Greece is one of our strongest allies and it is surely not the time to insult that friendship. We hope that talks vis a vis some mutually constructive arrangement continue and will have a positive outcome for both countries.”

Geraldine Kendall Adams article in the Museums Journal has the headline: British Museum announces new £50m BP deal to fund masterplan.

The institution announced the BP deal as it outlined the next steps of its 10-year masterplan, which will include a new government-funded Energy Centre, the redevelopment of a third of its galleries, and the official opening of its new Archaeological Research Collection (BM_ARC) at the Thames Valley Research Park in June 2024.

The masterplan will see the launch of an international architectural competition to reimagine the museum’s galleries next spring. The competition will focus on the museum's "Western Range" – which currently houses collections such as Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome – and will involve the introduction of contemporary architecture and gallery displays, along with the restoration of the listed building.

The new archaeological research facility – the first phase of the masterplan – will house items ranging from nails from the Sutton Hoo ship burial to Peruvian fabrics and 5000-year-old antler picks. It will seek to offer a “radically different” approach to museum storage by facilitating research and study by both academics and members of the public.

The museum masterplan will include public study rooms © John McAslan + Partners

To read the full article, follow the link here.

Also in The Times, David Sanderson writes:

The museum’s board has surprised the country’s cultural community by signing a ten-year deal with BP, which has in recent years been shunned by almost all of Britain’s artistic organisations.

It has emerged that trustees took the decision in June last year at a meeting in which they agreed to “operate as a united board” despite personal disagreements. George Osborne, the chairman, withdrew after declaring a conflict of interest.

The minutes of the meeting record that “it was unanimously agreed that accepting the sponsorship was on balance in the best interests of the museum and the protection, display and use of its collection”.

Muriel Gray resigned her post at the meeting in November immediately before the trustees discussed how to make public the BP deal.

Gray, who had been a trustee for seven years, did not respond to requests for comment. The minutes record her as saying she made a personal decision to submit her resignation to the government.

Chris Garrard, codirector of the pressure group Culture Unstained, said that it was an “astonishingly out of touch and completely indefensible decision”.

He said: “It comes just days after delegates at Cop28 agreed that the world must transition away from fossil fuels. We believe this decision is illegitimate and in breach of the museum’s own climate commitments and sectorwide codes and will be seeking legal advice in order to mount a formal challenge to it.”