Brazilian artist steals historic coin from the British Museum for controversial “heist” art project
Brazilian artist Ilê Sartuzi has released Sleight of Hand, a seven-minute video which includes footage of him stealing and returning a historic coin from the British Museum.
Sartuzi stole the coin from its display last month during a demonstration overseen by a volunteer guide. He then replaced the coin with a replica and dropped the original into the museum’s donation box. The plans, which took more than a year to orchestrate, were for Sartuzi’s MFA thesis, which is on exhibit at Goldsmiths, University of London.
The “heist” required Sartuzi’s friends to capture the theft with a handheld camera. He first attempted the manoeuvre on June 17th, but a volunteer guide caught him, forcing him to attempt it again the following day. He then shaved his beard and switched the coin on June 18th.
According to Sartuzi and his lawyer, stealing the coin does not fall under the Theft Act of 1968 nor violates the museum’s policies against touching or theft. The coin, which was minted in 1645 in Newark, is not registered in the museum’s database and is part of its handling collection, meaning visitors can touch and hold it under volunteer supervision.
However, according to the museum, Sartuzi’s actions have been directly disrespectful to the museum’s expectations of trust and honesty. “This is a disappointing and derivative act that abuses a volunteer-led service aimed at giving visitors the opportunity to handle real items and engage with history,” a British Museum spokesperson said in a statement.
They added: “Services like this rely on a basic level of human decency and trust, and it would be a shame to have to review the provision of these services due to actions like this.”
However, Sartuzi argued that Sleight of Hand focuses on “the problem of universal museums” and that the British Museum is “a foundational part of the colonial, imperialist system.” He also noted that the coin was the only one of British origin on display.
Over the last year, the British Museum in London has been embroiled in a huge loss comprising over a suspected 1,500 stolen items missing from its collection. However, this also brings to light the longtime controversy surrounding the British Museum being populated with stolen items, many of which are caught up in disputes with their country of origin.
Sleight of Hand is exhibiting at Goldsmiths, University of London, throughout July 16th.
This is a developing story.
