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George Osborne was appointed as the next chairman of the British Museum, making the former Conservative Prime Minister one of the most important roles in British culture.
Osborn will succeed Sir Richard Lambert, former editor of the Financial Times and former director of the CBI Business Lobby in October, as chairman of the 25-member board, including famous cultural figures such as Mary Beard and Grayson Perry.
Osborne said: “I have loved the British Museum all my life. In my opinion, it is simply the greatest museum in the world. This is a place where cultures blend together and tell the story of our common humanity.”
Minouche Shafik, the former deputy governor of the Bank of England, chaired the seven-person appointment committee, which the museum said “led an independent, open and thorough search for a global perspective, a clear interest in culture and history. Of the leader’s process.”
The Secretary of Culture Oliver Dawden was formerly the deputy chief of staff of former Prime Minister David Cameron, and colleagues said he warmly welcomed Osborne’s appointment.
“He has a lot of financial expertise,” said an ally of Dawden. “It is important for such people to run large art institutions to help them recover from the pandemic.”
The British Museum is planning to overhaul its buildings and exhibits according to a 10-year master plan, but the cost has not been disclosed, but significant investment is required.
A friend of Osborne said that the former prime minister “would not be a cultural warrior” and was responsible for overseeing the demolition of statues linked to the colonies. The friend added: “George will largely become a fortress of the centrist.”
However, Osborne’s appointment hardly reflects Dawden’s recently expressed hope that more different people will manage British cultural institutions.
Dawden recently wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that it is important that they cannot be “fully ruled by people in the metropolitan bubble.”
Osborne studied at the elite St. Paul’s School in West London and Oxford University, and then began a political career in the Conservative Party, eventually serving as Cameron’s Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016.
Osborne reduced his work portfolio in the past year, resigning from his part-time position as editor-in-chief of the Evening Standard and BlackRock, a US fund manager. He also served as a full-time partner in the British boutique financial advisory firm Robey Warshaw, which has been advising some of the UK’s largest transactions since its establishment in 2013.
In his role as the most famous museum in the UK, Osborne will work hard to resolve some fierce issues, from demanding the return of controversial items such as Benin bronzes and Parthenon marble, to the long-term relationship with the oil group BP Climate protests triggered by partnerships. His appointment comes at a time when the Conservative government is pushing to influence the opinions of senior British cultural institutions.
The pandemic has exacerbated funding constraints for cultural institutions, closures and social distancing restrictions have reduced tourist revenues, and government assistance has been limited by public financial pressures.
According to the data from VisitBritain, the British Tourism Administration, the British Museum, established in 1729, is the most popular tourist attraction in the UK in 2019, with 6.2 million visits.
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