By: Serena She

On June 18th, 2024, a small group of art students from Goldsmiths, University of London, entered the British Museum, visiting one of the “Hands on Desks” stations before leaving inconspicuously. No one noticed how one student gracefully swapped out, like a magician, a 1645 British silver coin with a counterfeit made by another student and later “donated” the genuine artifact back to the museum’s donation box. Museum staff found out about the heist from the student’s social media post.

Ilê Sartuzi performed this legal heist as his final project for his university and as a reminder to the museum of its controversial collection. After over a year of thorough planning and consulting an art lawyer to ensure his actions were legal, Sartuzi aborted his first attempt when a volunteer checked to make sure his hands were empty before allowing him to interact with the historical coin, but he was successful the following day.

“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,” Sartuzi explained.

The British Museum, located in the Bloomsbury area of London, openly states that it acquired many of its exhibitions rather illegally—having been looted by the British Empire. Most notably, it houses the Benin Bronzes and Rosetta Stone, which Nigeria and Egypt, respectively, want returned.

The museum is also infamous for its security flaws, as BBC reports that nearly 2,000 artifacts and valuables, including coins, statues, gems, and rare metals, have been reported “missing, stolen, or damaged” since the museum’s founding. “The British Museum really does need to review its security policy,” a former employee said to The Independent.

Ilê Sartuzi’s project not only reminds the British Museum of its embarrassing history with thieves but also brings awareness to its practice of acquiring artifacts from colonialism and imperialism.