British Museum’s Bayeux Tapestry exhibition funded by billionaire linked to Israeli defence venture

The British Museum opened ticket sales for the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition, projected to attract massive crowds over the next eleven months, after securing a £5m sponsorship from billionaire Igor Tulchinsky, founder and chair of WorldQuant. Tulchinsky’s newly created fund, WorldQuant Genesis, focuses on Israeli defence-tech projects and is overseen by retired Major General Saar Tzur, who previously directed units that deployed remote-controlled vehicles in Gaza.

Human-rights groups have linked those vehicles to extensive civilian damage and the destruction of cultural heritage sites, prompting Artists for Palestine UK to label the museum’s partnership as “outrageous.” The museum, already under pressure from MPs to investigate its removal of Palestine-related content and past corporate deals such as a £50m BP agreement, has not responded to inquiries about the sponsorship. The controversy highlights tensions between cultural institutions’ funding needs and ethical considerations surrounding donors tied to conflict-zone weaponry.