Panorama of the Bank of England.
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- The Bank of England has removed 10 paintings and busts of the president and directors.
- They knew it was related to the slave trade in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The City of London, where the two financial institutions are located, is itself reviewing what to do with the William Beckford statue in its old Town Hall residence.
The Bank of England said on Friday that it had removed 10 paintings and 7 busts of presidents and directors related to the slave trade in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Following last year’s “black life is also a fate” protest, the Bank of England has stated that it will review its art collection.
A spokesperson for the Bank of England said: “The review has now been completed. The artwork depicting the previous governors and directors in which we have been able to establish contact with the slave trade has been removed from the exhibition,” adding that the central bank has also hired A slavery researcher because of its museum.
We also appointed a researcher to work in our museum to explore in detail the historical links between banks and the transatlantic slave trade. This work will provide information for future museum displays that explain these connections.
Portraits and busts depict the founding director and president of the bank Gilbert Heathcote, James Bateman, Robert Bristol, Robert Clayton, William Dawson, William Manning and John · Pierce. They have been exhibited in the Bank of England headquarters and adjacent museum.
When announcing its review in June 2020, the Bank of England stated that it had never directly participated in the slave trade itself, but it was aware of some “unforgivable connections” involving the former governor and directors and apologized for them.
Lloyd’s of London, a 330-year-old insurance market in London, advertised in February for an archivist whose tasks included researching artifacts related to the history of slavery and abolition in Africa and the Caribbean.
The City of London, where the two financial institutions are located, is itself reviewing what to do with the William Beckford statue in its old Town Hall residence.
Beckford served as the mayor of London twice in the 18th century and owned a slave plantation in Jamaica.
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