Ittai Gradel, the antiquities dealer who exposed large-scale thefts from the British Museum, has died aged 61
Ittai Gradel, a classical scholar and antiquities dealer who uncovered a major theft ring at the British Museum, has died of cancer at the age of 61. His dogged persistence led to the resignation of the museum's director and deputy director, and the dismissal of a senior curator.
Gradel held a doctorate in Roman religion and was an associate professor at the University of Reading before leaving academia in 2008 to deal in antiquities. He returned to his native Denmark and focused on Graeco-Roman engraved gems, which he found both intellectually stimulating and profitable.
His troubles with the British Museum began in 2010 when he purchased items that he later suspected were stolen. A vendor claiming to have inherited gems from his grandfather kept producing more items, and when Gradel tried to meet him, the vendor allegedly died. In 2016, a Roman cameo listed on eBay matched a 1926 British Museum catalogue entry, but the listing quickly disappeared.
By 2020, Gradel had gathered enough evidence to realize something was wrong. He traced a PayPal receipt to a name similar to that of a British Museum curator, Peter Higgs. When he alerted the museum, they saw no reason to investigate and even promoted Higgs to acting head of the department of Greece and Rome.
Gradel began a campaign of emails and letters, which the museum ignored until October 2022, when a trustee forwarded his message to the new museum chair, George Osborne. Osborne took the matter seriously, and in July 2023, Higgs was sacked. The museum's director, Hartwig Fischer, resigned in August, and deputy director Jonathan Williams also left. The museum has brought a civil case against Higgs, who denies any wrongdoing.
The thefts were facilitated by poor record-keeping. The British Museum announced a five-year plan to document its entire collection of eight million objects online. To date, 650 of the 1,500 missing or stolen pieces have been returned.
Gradel's story was featured in a BBC Radio 4 series and a BBC Two film in 2024. He was named personality of the year by Apollo magazine. He is survived by his wife, Hanne Lavér Hansen, and his brother, Kim.
