Thiel given private Bayeux tapestry viewing at British Museum — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Peter Thiel received a private VIP viewing of the Bayeux tapestry at the British Museum on 18 August, hosted by director of development Charlotte Appleyard, weeks before the exhibition opened to the public.
- British Museum chair George Osborne was aware of the viewing but did not attend; Osborne and his podcast partner Ed Balls have also received special access and plan to record their next Political Currency episode from the gallery.
- Senior museum leaders were warned about public perception risk, citing Thiel's continued contact with Jeffrey Epstein after his 2008 conviction and Palantir's controversial £330m NHS contract held since 2023.
- Public demand saw online ticket queues of up to nine hours when tickets first went on sale, with reports of 40,000 people queuing by mid-morning and nearly 80,000 by mid-afternoon; the next wave of tickets goes on sale 21 October at 10am.
- The British Museum defended the viewing, saying no 'lux hours' were taken from the public allocation, that Thiel is not a donor, and that no money was received via him or his businesses.
- Palantir faces mounting UK political backlash: a second parliamentary committee urged Labour last month to scrap its NHS contract, and London mayor Sadiq Khan blocked a £50m Metropolitan Police contract in May, a decision Palantir is now challenging in the high court.
- Epstein files showed Thiel remained in contact with the financier for years after 2008, including multiple lunches and meetings from about 2014 onwards, while Epstein's Southern Trust Company invested about $40m in a Thiel co-founded venture fund.
Why it matters: The British Museum's decision to extend private pre-opening access to Thiel — while members of the public faced nine-hour ticket queues — sharpens scrutiny of gatekeeping at a publicly-funded institution. The contrast between staff's documented reputational warnings and leadership's claim that no public viewing time was sacrificed leaves unresolved who publicly-funded heritage is being curated for.
Ask SkimNews
