Story perspectives

Former Museum Employee Stole 300 Art Pieces: Recovery Efforts Continue

3/3/2026

Summary

Story summary

Nigel Peverett, a former British Museum employee, stole over 300 art pieces in the 1970s and sold them at an antiques market.
He was apprehended in April 1992 with 35 prints valued at £5,000, and a search later uncovered 169 additional prints worth £27,000.
Peverett admitted to selling another 150 prints and faced prosecution, receiving a suspended sentence before his death in 2023.
The British Museum recovered 55 stolen prints by November 1992, but at least 95 remain missing.
The museum plans to fully digitize its collection by 2028 to enhance safeguarding efforts.

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Story summary

Nigel Peverett, a former British Museum employee, stole over 300 art pieces in the 1970s and sold them at an antiques market.
He was apprehended in April 1992 with 35 prints valued at £5,000, and a search later uncovered 169 additional prints worth £27,000.
Peverett admitted to selling another 150 prints and faced prosecution, receiving a suspended sentence before his death in 2023.
The British Museum recovered 55 stolen prints by November 1992, but at least 95 remain missing.
The museum plans to fully digitize its collection by 2028 to enhance safeguarding efforts.