Dresden State Collections’ Hartwig Fischer appointed director of British Museum

Hartwig Fischer is currently director of the Dresden State Collections, housed in Dresden Castle, Germany. Photo by Kolossos, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

LONDON (AP) – The British Museum has announced that the director of the Dresden State Art Collection will become the new director of the London institution.Trustees on Tuesday named Hartwig Fischer to the top post at the British Museum, renowned for its vast collection of antiquities.

The appointment was approved by Prime Minister David Cameron.

Fischer will replace Neil MacGregor, who is leaving the museum at Christmas.

The 52-year-old Fischer is expected to take his new post in the spring.

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