British Museum finds next director in Dresden

Hartwig Fischer is expected to start his new role as the director of the British Museum in April 2016. He is currently the director-general of the Dresden State Art Galleries. His appointment, which was announced in late September, came as a surprise, since he is not well known in London. Neil MacGregor, the British Museum’s outgoing director, is due to leave at the end of December. One of Fischer’s first challenges will be to deal with cuts to the institution’s government grant; the past five years have seen grants to the British Museum and other national museums fall by around 35%. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, is expected to announce further cuts on 25 November.