Neil McGregor reports from Baghdad

The Art Newspaper has published a report based on an interview with British Museum director Neil McGregor, who visited Baghdad with a UNESCO delegation during May 17-18.

Overall, not much new regarding the archeological museum, but McGregor did reportedly see "over three hundred paintings which had been removed to safety from two galleries, the Museum of Iraqi Art Pioneers (pre-1949 works) and the Saddam Hussein Museum of Modern Art. All the pictures which had been saved were modern and many were torn or damaged. Mr MacGregor was told that the finest pictures had been looted, and this was what had been left behind."

It does seem that the cuneiform tablets are safe; in the underground vaults, "the coin cabinets had not been opened, but what had been stolen was jewellery - mostly necklaces and amulets made with semi-precious stones."

And once again, a reminder of the Ba'athist associations of the Baghdad museum administration:

What has now emerged is that large quantities of small items were dispersed to a number of secret stores before the war. These include manuscripts (said to number 40,000), which were taken to a bunker. Local people guarding the site said they did not want to return the manuscripts while staff associated with Saddam Hussein’s regime remain in charge. This store was then sealed. Iraqi curators had been reluctant to identify the secret stores, but it is believed that a number have been found by the Americans.

Posted by David on May 27, 2003 2:46 PM