BM director rules out restitution as he outlines plans to foster collaboration

The director of the British Museum has ruled out any move towards allowing restitution from its collections as he focuses instead on fostering global 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.”

Building partnerships is “what turns this narrative of everything being stolen or you are hoarding things into a more interesting, truer story about support and custodianship — how we handle this incredible legacy we have all inherited”, he added.

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.”

He also ruled out any permanent return of the museum’s Benin bronze collections to Nigeria.

“We have a fantastic relationship with MOWAA [the Museum of West African Art], the new museum of art in Benin City, and we are sharing a joint archaeological excavation. They might want to borrow other things, but what we can’t do is deaccession.”

The director, who joined the British Museum after leading on the redevelopment of the National Portrait Gallery, told the newspaper that he felt the culture wars of recent years were calming down.

“I think the conversation is changing,” he said. “We’re shifting; it’s becoming less divisive. There really are now things to argue about in the world, so we need to pick our battles. You can’t get angry about everything.”

Cullinan also told the newspaper that the theft scandal of 2023, in which a former member of staff allegedly stole or damaged almost 2,000 objects, had not put people off donating to its collections, although he said museum staff now forensically check eBay for thefts.

“Your worst fear as a museum curator is things being stolen, but the BM was especially vulnerable because of the volume of stuff,” he said.

The museum is currently digitising every artefact in its collections to protect against future theft. “After that’s done it will give us an incredible digital resource for anyone with internet connection around the globe,” he said.

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.”

An analysis of current developments in restitution and repatriation will be published in the July/August issue of Museums Journal

Update
19.05.2025

Article updated to include comments from the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles.