With few overseas tourists, curators think there has never been a better time for Britons to see their own national treasures
Leading museum and gallery directors have urged the public to grab a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see national treasures up close when the buildings reopen in England on Monday. Social distancing means that great art, like the newly restored Gainsborough, Cornard Wood, at the National Gallery, or the precious archaeological finds from Sutton Hoo in the British Museum, will be easier to examine than ever before – all due to government bailouts. It is an enticing offer, although one that stands to be taken up most readily by privileged sections of the population.
Hartwig Fischer, director of the British Museum, told the Observer he regarded it as “the perfect moment to rediscover” the exhibits: “In the summer, the museum usually has a high proportion of overseas tourists, so this year will of course be different.”
