Claudia Winkleman appointed to British Museum
Traitors star is museum's new trustee
— In partnership with the Chrysler Museum of Art
Friday 21 March 2025 | news from museums, galleries, heritage and art, including:
London Museum’s £20m donation 💰
Tate loses 2.7m visitors 📉
Happy Friday.
I’ve been smug most of the week, CERTAIN that I knew that stories that had dropped already were going to be the biggest news of the week. Nothing would beat them. I even prepped much of this newsletter in advance, and I could feel the first Friday pub garden of the year beckoning…
“Hold my beer” the UK government said.
This afternoon came a marmalade-dropper of a list of 16 new trustee appointments from His Majesty’s government to three of our biggest museums. Stunning. So because I’d already written most of the news stories, I’m covering the appointments here for you as its the only space.
The most eye-popping appointment is Claudia Winkleman to the board of the British Museum. Yes, she of the good fringe and good knitwear will be serving four years scrutinizing one of the world’s biggest cultural institutions during one of the most important chapters in its history (that £1bn refurb is coming!).
Winkleman said the museum “has been an integral part of my life since childhood: weekly trips with my father segueing to days of study through my university years and now regular visits with my own children.” Everyone in Britain loves Claudia, and so we can all cheer this news.
Also joining the British Museum board is Times journalist and peer Lord Finkelstein. A stalwart of the Conservative Party, he was very close to George Osborne when he was Chancellor. Osborne was even grilled on their relationship at the Leveson Inquiry back in 2012. That same Osborne is now Chair of Trustees of the British Museum. Funny how life pans out.
The most juicy appointment is that of writer and academic Dr Tiffany Jenkins. Jenkins is a long-standing defender of the British Museum retaining the Parthenon Sculptures. Her 2016 book Keeping Their Marbles: How the Treasures of the Past Ended up in Museums and Why They Should Keep Them is pretty clear on that. In 2023 — reacting to the strop Rishi Sunak had over the Greek Prime Minister bringing ownership up on a visit to Britain — she said “there’s no need to change the status quo by ‘returning’ the marbles’.”
Osborne has of course been pushing for years to find an “arrangement where at some point some of the sculptures are in Athens.” While discussions are languishing, if a deal does miraculously appear, will Jenkins support it? All eyes on the trustee meeting minutes for that one.
Over at the V&A, British broadcasters Mariella Frostrup and Vick Hope are the starriest new appointees today. But also joining the board is Akshata Murty, wife of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. British readers will remember she had to change her tax arrangements in 2022 when the public didn’t take too kindly to her non-dom status which (legally) allowed her to avoid paying tax on her (significant) overseas income. It just so happened that she wasn’t paying this tax while her husband was Chancellor and was putting everyone else’s taxes up to record levels.
Still, last year she pocketed £10.5 million in dividends from that overseas income so I’m sure the V&A is hoping to be chucked some pennies at some point. The Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty Gallery anyone?
Read more on all today’s appointments — including more iconic broadcasters — here.
Now let’s dive into all the other news!
— maxwell
PS read to the end for the most important poll of our times.
— In partnership with the Chrysler Museum of Art
A world-class home for glass art
It’s a landmark week for one of America’s leading museums.
The Chrysler Museum of Art houses one of the largest glass collections in the United States. Next weekend it unveils its totally revamped, world-class hub dedicated to the art of glassmaking.
The museum’s Perry Glass Studio has undergone a multi-million dollar overhaul, including a vast expansion. It allows visitors to get up-close to the entirety of the glass-making process, including artists in action. There’s even a 200-seat theater space to watch the craft of glassblowing.
“This will be one of the finest glassmaking studios in the world” says Robin Rogers, Glass Studio Manager and Program Director. He emphasises that they’ve embarked on an “experimental and performative approach.” There’ll be classes, demonstrations and performances all going on at the same time. It’ll be buzzing for international visitors and the local community alike.
“The state-of-the-art facility is an ideal space to expand one's understanding of glass making” Rogers says. Everyone’s invited to Virginia for next weekend’s grand opening.
Top stories 🚨
British Museum visits hit decade high
Visits to the British Museum have hit a ten-year high, as the institution is named the UK’s most popular attraction for a second successive year.
Numbers are up 11% year-on-year, with 6.48m people coming through the doors in 2024. They’re now running at 4% above pre-pandemic levels. Director Nicholas Cullinan said “I don’t take this for granted and want to do even better for the people who show up everyday.”
In total there were 157.2 million visits to the UK’s 400 most popular attractions according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA). This was a 3.4% increase on the previous year but is still 8.8% behind 2019, pre-covid. In second place was the Natural History Museum with 6.3m visits, also up 11%.
Other venues celebrating include Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum, which had its busiest year on record, with a 25% increase to 506,428 visitors, while Newcastle’s Laing Art Gallery saw a 57% increase to 192,013 visits. (Read more)
Tate and RA see tanking visitor numbers
But ALVA’s annual figures make for very worrying reading for some of London’s major venues.
Tate’s four galleries have lost 2.7m visits since 2019. Tate Modern — while remaining the fourth most-visited attraction — saw visitor numbers fall 3% year-on-year, and they remain 25% below pre-pandemic levels. Tate Britain increased numbers 12% annually, but they still lag 2019 by 35%. Last week I reported how the gallery group is axing jobs to save cash.
It’s even more eye-watering for London’s Royal Academy, who welcomed 622,000 people in 2024. This is down 12% on the previous year, and a staggering 50% down on 2019. Employees at the RA held a protest last weekend over dozens of planned job cuts to shore up finances.
There was a modest annual rise at the National Gallery — only up 3% despite their high-profile bicentenary — but numbers are still 47% below five years ago. But half of the gallery has been closed for refurbishment, and will reopen in May.
Royal Museums Greenwich saw numbers dip 11% on last year (22% below 2019). IWM London is down 4% (25% below 2019). (Read more)
Bloomberg’s record museum donation
The London Museum has received the largest private donation in its history, after being gifted £20 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the charitable arm of global financial news organisation Bloomberg. The cash will go towards transforming two buildings in the museum's new Smithfield home (opening next year).
Bloomberg has also donated the entirety of the Roman artefacts uncovered during construction works for their European headquarters in the City of London between 2012 and 2014. At 14,000 objects, it’s the single largest archive of archaeological material ever received by the museum. Highlights that were uncovered include Britain’s earliest Roman writing tablets, featuring the first-known written reference to London.
On this donation, former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg said “As someone who considers London my second home, I'm honored that our company will be able to help bring these stories to life”. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said “this is a great example of public and private sectors working together to help realise bold plans for our capital's future.” (Read more)
UK news 🇬🇧
Labour costs cost National Trust 📈
The National Trust has frozen all but essential recruitment and is pausing some projects as it faces a £10m jump in labour costs which it blames on the government’s increase in the minimum wage and its rise in employers’ national insurance contributions. A spokesperson said these “are a significant increase for us to absorb” and that “these are challenges the whole sector is facing.” (Read more)
Billion-pound British Library expansion 📚
A huge £1.1 BILLION extension of the British Library has been announced. Work is due to start next year with completion by 2032. A new 12-storey building — funded by Japanese property developer Mitsui Fudosan — will be created next to the current site, of which the library will use 12.5% of floorspace. The rest will be offered for commercial rental. The library will double the size of its exhibition galleries. (Read more)
Gold toilet artwork conviction 🚽
Two men have been found guilty of the theft of a £4.75 million gold toilet artwork in a brazen raid from Blenheim Palace. The satirical piece by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was a star attraction in an exhibition when it was stolen. Within days of the robbery the artwork had been broken up and sold on, the court heard. Police say they are now hunting other burglars involved. Five men were caught in CCTV on the night of the theft, but only two have been caught. (Read more)
National loans around Britain announced 📍
11 new exhibitions around Britain have been announced as part of the latest round of the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund. The programme funds smaller museums borrowing objects from national collections. Highlights include Blackpool’s Showtown displaying Imperial War Museum items to mark 80 years since the end of WWII, and JMW Turner’s romantic sketches from Wales will return to the landscapes that inspired them 200 years ago in Carmarthenshire. (Read more)
Global news 🌎
USA 🇺🇸
President Trump signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which provides critical funding to museums, libraries, and archives. A week later, there’s uncertainty over its future as the President has appointed a new head of the agency, Keith E. Sonderling. Sonderling said in a statement that “We will revitalize IMLS and restore focus on patriotism.” (Read more)
Netherlands 🇳🇱
The Rijksmuseum is celebrating the addition to its permanent collection of a prized work — Vanitas Still Life (around 1690) — by Maria van Oosterwijck, one of the leading Dutch women painters of the Golden Age. Director Taco Dibbits said “Only some 30 works by the artist have survived… this acquisition means that two are now in Dutch ownership. We are delighted that, with this painting, we can offer her the place of honour that she deserves.” (Read more)
France 🇫🇷
A new Paris exhibition celebrates the history of fashion — as worn by Snoopy and the Peanuts gang. Opening tomorrow at the Hôtel du Grand Veneur, Snoopy In Style pays tribute to Charles M. Schulz and his beloved creations by looking at the evolution of the characters’ outfits and their influence on popular culture. “Chanel is here. Karl Lagerfeld is here. Dolce Gabbana, Balmain [are here]" Peanuts Worldwide executive Melissa Menta said. (Read more)
News in brief
Sculpture of peace campaigner
A statue of peace campaigner Brian Haw — who camped in Parliament Square for a decade to protest against UK foreign policy — has been unveiled opposite the Imperial War Museum. It was unveiled by actor Mark Rylance. (More)
Going under the wig
A treasure trove of previously unseen Andy Warhol items are to go on display in an exhibition that will offer a ‘behind the scenes’ glimpse at the Pop Artist. Andy Warhol: My True Story will open at Newlands House Gallery in West Sussex in June. (More)
Museum theft suspect dies
One of the two men charged in connection with the 2005 theft from a museum of Judy Garland’s Wizard of Oz ruby slippers has died. Following his death, a judge dismissed the charges against him. (More)
An “urban bald patch”
A €21 million “climate-adapted, heritage-friendly” revamp of Berlin’s historic Gendarmenmarkt square has provoked outrage from conservatives and environmentalists alike — because there’s not a tree in sight. (More)
Museums handed back
The running of Scarborough's museums and galleries will be handed back to the local council after the charity that’s run them for two decades said that it “was no longer viable due to economic pressures.” (More)
A glow-up for a glass art museum
We’re just days away from the unveiling of The Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly-expanded home to the art of glassmaking. The museum’s Director says it’s “better than anyone could have imagined.” (Read more)*
*This is sponsored
👀 Last week’s most clicked news story
— Experts find the only portrait of Lady Jane Grey — England’s infamous ‘nine-day-queen’ — painted in her lifetime
📊 Last week’s poll results | Should Egyptian mummies and all human remains be banned from public display in museums?
— Yes 37%
— No 63%
📊 This week’s poll
— Thanks for reading to the end. If you found today’s edition useful, please donate to support this publication for the future.