German Art Historian Tapped to Head the British Museum
- September 27, 2015 22:32
A German art historian has been named to lead the British Museum, which ranks as the UK's most popular tourist attraction.
Vast collections spanning human history and cultures from the Parthenon marbles to Navajo silver will be overseen by Hartwig Fischer, 53, the first foreigner to hold the museum's top position in nearly 200 years.
Fischer is director-general of the Dresden State Art Collections, one of Europe's finest state repositories of art. He specializes in 20th-century art and has curated exhibitions on Schwitters, Arp and Kandinsky.
The appointment has been approved by the museum's trustees and is expected to be signed off by the prime minister. Fischer succeeds Neil MacGregor who is heading to Berlin as an advisor to a global cultural forum.
