Sackler Gallery cancels exhibition of Iraqi gold
LONDON. The proposed Washington, DC tour of the Nimrud gold from the Baghdad Museum in Iraq, has been cancelled due to a lack of support from the US State Department.
In April we reported that the international tour of Iraqi treasures would begin next February at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. The hope was that it would then travel to ten international venues, raising around $10m for the Baghdad museum.
Last month Sackler Gallery director Dr Julian Raby said that our article had brought matters to a head, and following discussions with the US government, the exhibition has now been cancelled. He said: “I always felt that the gallery could not serve as a venue unless we received clear guarantees on a number of points, principally relating to security and funding. When no such guarantees were received, we concluded that we could not proceed.”
It is believed that the US ambassador in Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, was supportive of the proposed touring exhibition, but State Department officials in Washington apparently had two main concerns.
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In April we reported that the international tour of Iraqi treasures would begin next February at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. The hope was that it would then travel to ten international venues, raising around $10m for the Baghdad museum.
Last month Sackler Gallery director Dr Julian Raby said that our article had brought matters to a head, and following discussions with the US government, the exhibition has now been cancelled. He said: “I always felt that the gallery could not serve as a venue unless we received clear guarantees on a number of points, principally relating to security and funding. When no such guarantees were received, we concluded that we could not proceed.”
It is believed that the US ambassador in Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, was supportive of the proposed touring exhibition, but State Department officials in Washington apparently had two main concerns.