German chief for the British Museum

THE British Museum has chosen a German art historian as its new head, making Hartwig Fischer the first foreigner to hold the post in 150 years.

The 53-year-old, who is directorgeneral of the Dresden State Art Collections, is reportedly set to succeed Neil MacGregor at the nation’s most popular visitor attraction in December.

His appointment, which has come as a surprise as he is hardly known in Britain, will be signed off by the Prime Minister after an official announcement has been made.

Mr Fischer has held the position of director-general at Dresden since December 2011, before which he was the director of the Folkwang Museum in Essen, north-west Germany.

He is critically acclaimed in his home country and his relationship with Dresden stretches back to his time at university where he wrote a thesis on the painter Hermann Prell, who taught as a professor in the city.

An official at the Dresden collection confirmed Mr Fischer’s move, The

Times has reported. Mr MacGregor has spent 13 years at the British Museum. He announced his departure five months ago.

When he joined in 2002 after 15 years at the National Gallery, the museum was attracting 4.6 million visitors a year. As he leaves it, that number has increased by nearly half to 6.7 million and the British Museum stands as the second most visited museum in the world, behind the Louvre.

Mr MacGregor has said he will continue to work with the BBC and the British Museum on a Radio 4 series and will chair an advisory board for the Humboldt Forum, a museum in Berlin.

Mr Fischer’s appointment is expected to be announced imminently.