Brazilian Artist Ilê Sartuzi Replaces British Museum Coin with Replica in Performance Art Heist

On June 18, Brazilian artist Ilê Sartuzi executed a meticulously planned performance at the British Museum in London, replacing a seventeenth-century English Civil War silver coin with an exact replica during a public handling session. The artist conducted over twenty reconnaissance visits to Room 68, mapping volunteer shift patterns and practicing sleight-of-hand techniques with accomplices providing distractions. After swapping the authentic artifact for his fabricated copy, Sartuzi deposited the original coin into the museum's collection box before exiting to the London streets. His work, titled 'Sleight of Hand,' forms part of his current MFA exhibition at Goldsmiths College, University of London, documented through hidden-camera footage and 3D renderings. The British Museum criticized the performance as a 'disappointing and derivative act that abuses a volunteer-led service.' Sartuzi's intervention references Brazil's colonial history and trickster mythology while coinciding with institutional turmoil following last summer's theft scandal involving 1,500 objects from Greek and Roman antiquities storerooms. Former director Hartwig Fischer resigned amid the controversy, with Nicholas Cullinan recently assuming leadership. The artist consulted legal counsel to ensure the coin never left museum property, technically avoiding theft charges while creating commentary on imperialism, restitution, and museum custodianship.