Too much ego? Freud museum investigated over 'autocratic' management

A bitter row at the Freud Museum in London has resulted in it facing an official probe into allegations of political interference and "autocratic" board decision-making that critics say put the future of the institution at risk.

- Patrick Butler

The museum, in Hampstead, was the final home of Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, and his daughter Anna Freud, a children's psychoanalyst, and is dedicated to promoting their intellectual and cultural legacy.

A 20-strong group of writers, academics and psychoanalysts - including Susie Orbach, Hanif Kureishi and Marina Warner - have called for the charities regulator to investigate what they allege to be "serious issues" with the management and governance of the museum.

These include claims the museum's board has alienated staff, promoted a divisive and partisan approach to psychoanalytic practice in breach of the museum's charter, and attempted to block visiting speakers for "political" reasons.

"We are concerned that the historic role of the museum, the importance of the house and its collections, its commitment to scholarship and research as well as the interpretation of contemporary society through a wide-ranging psychoanalytic lens, is being undermined," the group said in a letter to the Charity Commission.

The group who call themselves "friends" of the museum, and include former trustees, directors and current honorary fellows, alleges an intimidating atmosphere has led to a third of the museum's staff leaving in the past year.