aug 24, 2020 - British Museum Moves Bust of Founder, Who Profited From Slavery

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Curators relocated a bust of Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753) from a plinth to a smaller display case accompanied by text discussing the naturalist’s connections to the slave trade. (Sloane, an Irishman whose 71,000-object collection formed the foundation for the British Museum, the British Library and the Natural History Museum, profited from the enslavement of people in Jamaica.)

Museum director Hartwig Fischer first announced the change in an interview with the Telegraph’s Craig Simpson.

“Dedication to truthfulness is crucial, when we face our own history,” says Fischer in a statement quoted by Lianne Kolirin of CNN.

He adds, “Sloane allows us to highlight the complexity and ambiguity of this period, he was a physician, collector, scholar, benefactor and slave owner.”

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