By: Olivia Ho

Ilê Sartuzi, a Brazilian Art Student at Goldsmiths, University of London, walked into the famous British Museum in London and perfectly blended in with the many tourists. However, this Art Student isn’t a regular tourist, he was there to steal a 17th-century coin. After more than a year of preparation, 20 visits to the museum, and one prior failed attempt, Ilê Sartuzi was able to swap the 17th-century coin with a fake one, dropping the real coin off at the donation box before leaving.

Ilê Sartuzi used a magic trick skill, sleight of hand, to switch the coin with a fake one that his classmates made. The stunt was aimed at criticizing the museum’s ownership of artifacts acquired from different parts of the world during the colonial era where . many of the items were taken by force. “The gesture of stealing as a central part of the project brings back the heated discussion about the role of looting in the museum’s foundation,” Mr. Sartuzi said.

The Museum luckily found out what had truly happened to the 17th-century coin on Ilê Sartuzi’s Instagram page. The heist recalled a past incident when a former curator stole over 1,800 items from the museum’s storeroom.

The heist was frowned upon by the museum and criticized, but according to a British Museum’s spokesperson, “There’s no issue of theft here.” Luckily, Ilê Sartuzi had spoken to an art lawyer so he knew what he could “steal” without getting in too much trouble.

The purpose of Ilê Sartuzi’s heist? To bring attention to the museum’s artifacts that don’t belong to them, a concern that has been silenced. Although this is a British Museum, most of the items aren’t British artifacts, so is this Museum even a British one?

Image Credit by Neslihan Baran Sami