Dr Ittai Gradel, the academic and antiquities dealer who exposed the theft of hundreds of artefacts from the British Museum, has died of cancer aged 61, according to a bbc.com report.
Dr Gradel, who passed away in a Danish hospice, was recently awarded the museum’s highest honour for his “significant contribution” to recovering its lost collection.
The Danish-based specialist first raised concerns in 2021 after spotting museum gems for sale on eBay, some for negligible sums. Despite providing evidence—including a PayPal receipt linked to a senior curator—the museum’s former management initially dismissed his claims as “unfounded,” insisting all objects were accounted for.
It was not until 2023 that the British Museum admitted approximately 2,000 items were stolen, missing, or damaged. The ensuing scandal led to the resignation of Director Hartwig Fischer and sparked an ongoing Metropolitan Police investigation. Dr Gradel, a key witness for the prosecution, personally returned more than 360 items he had unwittingly purchased.
The museum has accused former curator Dr Peter Higgs of stealing and selling the artefacts over several years. Dr Higgs denies all wrongdoing. Current Director Dr Nicholas Cullinan recently presented Dr Gradel with the British Museum medal, citing his “passionate determination that wrongs should be righted.”
Born in 1965, Dr Gradel was a renowned expert in Greek and Roman gemstones. Utilising a photographic memory, he cross-referenced online listings with obscure 1920s academic catalogues to prove the provenance of the stolen goods. Shortly before his death, he expressed regret that he would not see the legal resolution of the case.
The British Museum theft remains one of the most significant scandals in the institution’s history, revealing that nearly 2.4 million items in its eight-million-piece collection were uncatalogued or partially recorded, a vulnerability exploited by the alleged thief.
•Featured image: Ittai Gradel/Adam Walker/BBC
