ABSTRACT
Founded in 1753 the British Museum (BM) has a long, complex history that is encoded into its current displays and structures in a myriad of ways. Its collection – global in scope – ranges chronologically from the ancient past to the present day. This chapter is primarily a reflection on change and innovation in an organization which fits Elaine Heumann Gurian’s description of an object-rich “classicist” museum in which “alterations in practice can be measured in what seems like geologic time”. It offers a case study of how a traditional object-rich museum has begun to innovate its internal practices through addressing LGBTQ histories and perspectives, subjects which for a large part of its history were omitted by the institution. The chapter centres on the development and impact of a small BM exhibition, Desire, love, identity: exploring LGBTQ histories.
