More controversy over Sekhemka, the ancient Egyptian statue.
Photo courtesy of The Guardian
In July 2014, Sekhemka and the Northampton museum were under intense spotlight when the museum decided to auction off the ancient Egyptian artefact that had been with them for over a 100 years. The reason for its sale was because the museum needed money to extend its building.
Despite efforts made to prevent the auction such as #SaveSekhemka, the artefact was bought for almost £10 million by an overseas buyer. Owing to that, the museum has been removed from the accreditation scheme for a minimum of five years by the Arts Council England, and development and membership bodies for the museums sector released a joint statement last week highlighting “penalties for any future sales from museum collections that break their ethical guidelines”.
Moreover, Ed Vaizey, the culture minister, recently announced “a four-month temporary export bar on the figure” which the Arts Council England added that “the ban would be extended for a year until March 2016 if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase the statue is made, with any eligible institution able to reclaim any VAT on the sale”.
The current issue at stake is where would the statue be kept till a decision about the ban has been made?
Should the artefact remain in the UK or be brought home to Egypt?
For more information: www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/mar/30/export-block-on-ancient-egyptian-statue-sold-by-northampton-council
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