Cultural Controversy: French Opposition Grows Over Bayeux Tapestry Loan to UK

Tue Sep 23 2025 12:26:47 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

As the iconic Bayeux Tapestry prepares for its controversial move to London, fears persist about the delicate state of this historical art piece among French experts and public figures.

The Bayeux Tapestry, a 1,000-year-old artwork chronicling the Norman conquest of England, is set to travel to London for an exhibition at the British Museum. However, this decision has sparked significant backlash within France, where many experts express concerns over the tapestry's fragility. A prominent petition, gaining 60,000 signatures, condemns the transfer as a 'cultural crime.' Even as officials assure that transport is feasible, the situation raises critical questions about cultural stewardship and diplomatic gestures.

The Bayeux Tapestry, which documents the Norman invasion of England in 1066, will be closed to the public in France from Monday as opposition mounts ahead of its move to London.

The next time it will be possible to see the nearly 1,000-year-old work of art should be when it goes on display at the British Museum in September next year.

However, the French art world is fiercely opposed to the project, with experts fearing the 70m-long (230ft) masterpiece is in far too delicate a state to be transported across the Channel.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the loan when they met in London in July.

The last few weeks have seen a big rise in visitor numbers at the Bayeux Museum ahead of its closure from 1 September.

A new display area is being built for the tapestry, which will take at least two years.

The closure – long planned – is what gave Macron the opportunity to perform his act of cultural diplomacy, committing France to loaning the tapestry to the British Museum for a year from next September.

But that promise has triggered an outcry from many in the French art world.

A petition – which describes the loan as a cultural crime – has drawn 60,000 signatures.

What many opponents resent above all is the high-handed way they feel Macron decided to make his gesture to the UK, overriding the advice of specialists who say the vibrations inevitable in a long journey by road could cause irreparable damage.

On 22 August, a French official overseeing the loan defended the move, saying the artefact was not too fragile to transport. Philippe Bélaval stated that no decision had yet been made on how to transport the tapestry but highlighted a study from earlier this year that provided detailed recommendations on handling and transport.

However, the representative did not reveal the authors of the study or its conclusions.

Cecile Binet, a regional museum adviser for Normandy, noted in a YouTube post that moving the tapestry long distances would be 'a risk to its conservation,' labeling it 'too fragile.'

In exchange for the tapestry, treasures including artefacts from the Anglo-Saxon burial mounds at Sutton Hoo and the 12th Century Lewis chess pieces will travel to museums in Normandy.

The Bayeux Tapestry boasts 58 scenes, 626 characters, and 202 horses, giving a unique account of medieval life and the transition of power in England, ending with the flight of the Anglo Saxons after the Battle of Hastings in 1066.