Brazilian Artist Swipes Historic Coin from British Museum as Part of MFA Project

Brazilian conceptual artistIlê Sartuzion June 18 stole a historic coin from London’s British Museum, replaced it with a replica, and dropped the original in one of the institution’s donation boxes before departing the building, according to multiple sources. Sartuzi presented footage of the theft and return, along with a text piece and vitrine containing two replica coins, in his MFA thesis exhibition at Goldsmiths, University of London. The artist toldHyperallergicthat the work, titledSleight of Hand, is intended to open “a discussion around theft and looting in both a historical context and from a neocolonial perspective within contemporary cultural institutions.”

The silver coin, dating from 1645 and minted in Newark, England, was part of an array of items meant for educational purposes, including handling by visitors. Sartuzi, who had planned the project for a year, first attempted to steal the coin on June 17 but was caught. He shaved his beard and returned the next day, successfully filching the coin during a demonstration by a volunteer guide. Three friends assisted him in his efforts, filming his actions with a handheld camera on both days.

The Art Newspaper reported that the museum had alerted police to Sartuzi’s actions but that it had offered no information as to whether it intended to press charges against the artist. Sartuzi and his lawyer have said that his actions did not violate museum policy, which prohibits the removal of objects from the institution and permits their handling only under certain circumstances; according to the pair, his actions are additionally permissible under the Theft Act of 1968 because he never removed the coin from the museum.

The British Museum in a statement cast Sartuzi’s actions as “disappointing and derivative,” and said they abused a volunteer-led service allowing visitors to physically encounter historic objects. “Services like this rely on a basic level of human decency and trust,” read the statement, “and it would be a shame to have to review the provisions of these services due to actions like this.”

Sartuzi’s sleight of hand occurred as the British Museum continues to reel from the fallout of a major theft said to have been carried out by a longtime employee, who is alleged to have stolen numerous antiquities of great value and peddled them for a song on eBay.