The removal

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow has taken its ancient Egyptian human remains off display and placed them in storage. The items include a mummified male head, a painted coffin holding the remains of the priest Nekht, a mummified right hand recovered from the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, and a mummified right foot. Empty cases now carry a notice saying the remains were removed as a mark of respect. Kelvingrove opened in 1901 and attracts more than 1.3 million visitors a year, and it has long featured mummies and other remains from ancient Egypt. Glasgow Life, the charity that runs the city's museums with funding from Glasgow city council, is behind the decision.

The consent argument

The museum's case rests on consent, because the deceased cannot be asked whether they agree to be displayed. A spokesperson told The Times that without such consent, removal is more respectful to the deceased.

“In the absence of such consent, we believe removing ancient Egyptian human remains from display is more respectful to the deceased individuals.”

The museum's statement also pointed to International Council of Museums guidance, which says that where human remains hold continuing cultural or spiritual importance, museums should consider restricted use or repatriation. Glasgow Life's proposed policy would allow such remains to be shown only with consent from the deceased or, in some cases, from relatives, a condition that is especially hard to establish for ancient mummies. A spokesperson for the organisation also cited a 2025 report, Laying Ancestors to Rest, by a cross-party parliamentary group on reparations for Africa. That report raises ethical questions about displaying ancient Egyptian remains, arguing that the possible wishes of the dead and the intentions of the communities that buried them are overlooked.

Conservative criticism

Murdo Fraser, a former deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives and a current MSP, told The Times that the museum had gone too far.

“Even Egyptian mummies are now being cancelled by a society so obsessed with modern sensibilities that it has lost all sense of perspective.”

He said people visit museums to learn about ancient civilisations and called the decision "woke madness", a phrase echoed in some corners of X. Chris McGovern, chair of the Campaign for Real Education, also opposed the removal, arguing that children in particular lose the chance to learn about history up close. Fraser urged Glasgow's museums to show the city's history rather than quietly remove it. He also posted a joke about wanting his mummy on social media.

Wider museum practice

Many European and American museums, from the Louvre to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, still display mummified people. Some have changed how they describe such remains. The National Museums of Scotland avoid the word "mummy" in labels and use "mummified person" or "mummified remains", a change it said in 2023 was meant to avoid "dehumanizing" language. LBC notes that ancient Egyptians preserved bodies because they believed the body had to remain intact for the afterlife, and mummies have been shown in museums across the world for generations. The Glasgow decision goes further than a change in labels, removing the objects from display altogether.

What comes next

Glasgow Life reportedly plans to remove more human remains from Kelvingrove as well as from St Mungo Museum in Glasgow. Telegraaf reports that remains at St Mungo have already been moved to the museum's storage depot. LBC said it had contacted Kelvingrove for comment. The sources do not give a timetable for the planned removals.