Alistair Hardaker
Image: Bayeux Tapestry © Bayeux Museum
Petition launched via online art history magazine argues fragile artwork should not be used for diplomatic purposes between nations.
Nearly 60,000 sign petition to stop planned Bayeux Tapestry loan to British Museum
Petition launched via online art history magazine argues the work is likely too fragile to be transported internationally.
A petition urging French President Emmanuel Macron to reverse the planned loan of The Bayeux tapestry to the UK has garnered nearly 60,000 signatures.
The Bayeux tapestry is set for display at the British Museum next year as part of a loan swap between France and the UK, first announced in July.
The loan will mark the first time that the medieval tapestry, which chronicles the Norman Conquest of 1066, will be displayed in the UK in nearly 1,000 years.
The 70 meter tapestry has been displayed at the Bayeux Museum in Normandy for the last 42 years. The tapestry is then to be returned to the Bayeux Museum after a two year refurbishment.
In return, the British Museum will loan the Sutton Hoo collection and the Lewis Chessmen to museums in Normandy.
But art historian and writer Didier Rykner, is urging the French president to renege on the deal.
Rykner launched the petition last month on the change.org platform as editor of online art history magazine La Tribune de l’Art.
Addressed to President Emmanuel Macron directly, the peititon has garnered 59,296 signatures at the time of writing, since its launch a month ago.
In the petition Rykner argues that the fragility of the tapestry means even minimal transport could cause damage, citing a 2023 video from the The Institut national du patrimoine, the higher education institution of the French Ministry of Culture.
In the video, conservators discuss efforts to preserve the tapestry, including considerations for the tapestry’s potential move during renovation at the Bayeux Museum.
Rykner argues that its fragility means a loan to the British Museum goes against the advice of conversation specialists.
Rykner told Reuters the tapestry is “already very fragile. There are tears and holes in the fabric. Any movement, any vibration can cause damage,” he said.
“You cannot use a fragile piece of art for diplomacy.”
Philippe Bélaval, a French official appointed by Macron as envoy for the tapestry’s loan, said the details of the tapestry’s transport to the UK are yet to be made. Agence France-Presse reports Bélaval has cited an as-yet unspecified 2025 study which does not recommend it is unfit for transport.
The British Museum has been approached for comment.
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