Has the British Museum lost its Marbles?
As calls to repatriate the artefacts continue to grow, we look back at the recent history of the Parthenon Marbles...
February 14, 2024
The British Museum has been under the spotlight again after the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was snubbed by Rishi Sunak who cancelled a meeting in which the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles was expected to be discussed. The museum has had swathes of bad press in the last year from viral Tiktok trends, highlighting how few British artefacts there are in the ‘British’ Museum, to more serious concerns involving pressure to relinquish sponsorship from British Petroleum, an intellectual property lawsuit by Chinese poet Yilin Wang, and the recent announcement that over 1,700 artefacts have been stolen by a senior member of the curatorial team.
Despite being the third most visited museum in the world, particularly after the pandemic, revenue is not meeting maintenance costs. Since the director Hartwig Fischer resigned, the Museum is seeking someone to fill his shoes, set with the mammoth task of repairing not only the leaking roof, and dilapidated galleries, but also the museum’s public image. As museums around the world negotiate the repatriation of high-profile items in their collection, the British Museum is under more pressure than ever to broker a deal which could see it lose one of its most eminent attractions.
Greece first made claims for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles in 1983 and has been pushing for the marbles’ return ever since. In 2015 the Greek Government dropped their legal case against the Museum over fears that a loss would risk sealing the fate of the marbles in Bloomsbury forever. Meanwhile, the British Museum and Westminster have played a game of Catch-22, with the museum claiming it is up to the Government to change the law while the Government claiming it is a matter for the Museum to deal with. The law in question is a piece of 1963 legislation forbidding the ‘deaccession’ of any item from the museum’s collection unless it is ‘unfit to be retained’. George Osbourne, the current Chair of Trustees at the museum, has been in discussion with the Greek Government for several years, proposing a solution in which the Marbles would be loaned to Greece, thereby circumnavigating the law. Of course, once loaned it is unlikely the marbles would ever return but would legally still be owned by the UK.
Sunak cancelling the meeting with Mitsotakis last minute signalled for the first time the Museum and Westminster are at odds. Number Ten has said that repatriating the Parthenon Marbles could lead to a ‘slippery slope’, and last year the then Secretary of State said; it would be a ‘dangerous road to go down’ while Boris Johnson, while Prime Minister, commented ‘If you give back the Elgin Marbles to Greece then… above all you have no answer in the years ahead to the theoretical claims for restitution from Egypt and Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Nigeria—everywhere whose treasures are housed in Bloomsbury.’
Rishi Sunak claimed he cancelled the meeting to prioritise domestic affairs and matters the ‘public really care about’; however, a YouGov poll released in July 23 revealed 64% of people in the UK now favour repatriation. Some even interpreted King Charles III wearing a Greek tie during COP28 as a symbol of support amid the diplomatic tension. The wider arts and heritage sector has certainly seen a shift toward repatriation. In relation to Cambridge University being the first institution to return a Benin Bronze, Sonita Alleyne, Master of Jesus College said ‘The tone has shifted and the implication is that the time of Africa bargaining for, begging for and buying back its stolen loot is over’. Similar commitments have been made by other US and European Museums, repatriating artefacts irrespective of how they were collected - although the British Museum, which has the most significant collection of Benin Bronzes, is yet to announce an agreement.
As the author of The Parthenon Marbles Dispute Alexander Herman has argued, the Government and the Museum should acknowledge the ethical landscape they are now situated within. The museum is not operating in a vacuum and museums are now expected to engage openly and fairly with artefacts’ countries of origin, as laid out by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Code of Ethics as well as the Arts Council England’s guidance on restitution and repatriation.
While the art world is moving into an increasingly ethical landscape, it is important to not overlook the wider political climate. Globally, nationalism is on the rise, and as Professor of Politics and Media Marina Prentoulis has argued, the political motives surrounding the repatriation of the marbles are worth scrutinising; with inflation rates rocketing and Greece, like the UK, in the grips of a cost of living crisis that shows little sign of abating, Prime Minister Mitsotakis could orchestrate a cultural win for Greece - in doing so boosting tourism, a key driver for the Greek economy.
Back in a BBC interview in November, Mitsotakis memorably likened the situation with the Marbles to tearing the Mona Lisa in half in an emotive plea for repatriation. The Greek Archaeological Association, however, has clashed with the Greek Government over its preservation of ancient Greek heritage, arguing that the government is prioritising economic considerations over the protection of sites. A reinforced concrete lift enabling disabled access to the Acropolis was condemned by some archaeologists as damaging the archaeological area. Yannis Hamilakis, professor of archaeology and modern Greek studies at Brown University, argued that the alterations played into the ‘neo-classical colonialist and nationalist dream’. Positing the marbles not as static artefacts, but as objects with a complex cultural biography, of which their significance to the Western world as detached symbols, outside of their original context as part of the Parthenon, is just as historically important as them being the pieces missing from the puzzle back at the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in Athens.
The British Museum has been under the spotlight again after the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was snubbed by Rishi Sunak who cancelled a meeting in which the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles was expected to be discussed. The museum has had swathes of bad press in the last year from viral Tiktok trends, highlighting how few British artefacts there are in the ‘British’ Museum, to more serious concerns involving pressure to relinquish sponsorship from British Petroleum, an intellectual property lawsuit by Chinese poet Yilin Wang, and the recent announcement that over 1,700 artefacts have been stolen by a senior member of the curatorial team.
Despite being the third most visited museum in the world, particularly after the pandemic, revenue is not meeting maintenance costs. Since the director Hartwig Fischer resigned, the Museum is seeking someone to fill his shoes, set with the mammoth task of repairing not only the leaking roof, and dilapidated galleries, but also the museum’s public image. As museums around the world negotiate the repatriation of high-profile items in their collection, the British Museum is under more pressure than ever to broker a deal which could see it lose one of its most eminent attractions.
Greece first made claims for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles in 1983 and has been pushing for the marbles’ return ever since. In 2015 the Greek Government dropped their legal case against the Museum over fears that a loss would risk sealing the fate of the marbles in Bloomsbury forever. Meanwhile, the British Museum and Westminster have played a game of Catch-22, with the museum claiming it is up to the Government to change the law while the Government claiming it is a matter for the Museum to deal with. The law in question is a piece of 1963 legislation forbidding the ‘deaccession’ of any item from the museum’s collection unless it is ‘unfit to be retained’. George Osbourne, the current Chair of Trustees at the museum, has been in discussion with the Greek Government for several years, proposing a solution in which the Marbles would be loaned to Greece, thereby circumnavigating the law. Of course, once loaned it is unlikely the marbles would ever return but would legally still be owned by the UK.
Sunak cancelling the meeting with Mitsotakis last minute signalled for the first time the Museum and Westminster are at odds. Number Ten has said that repatriating the Parthenon Marbles could lead to a ‘slippery slope’, and last year the then Secretary of State said; it would be a ‘dangerous road to go down’ while Boris Johnson, while Prime Minister, commented ‘If you give back the Elgin Marbles to Greece then… above all you have no answer in the years ahead to the theoretical claims for restitution from Egypt and Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Nigeria—everywhere whose treasures are housed in Bloomsbury.’
Rishi Sunak claimed he cancelled the meeting to prioritise domestic affairs and matters the ‘public really care about’; however, a YouGov poll released in July 23 revealed 64% of people in the UK now favour repatriation. Some even interpreted King Charles III wearing a Greek tie during COP28 as a symbol of support amid the diplomatic tension. The wider arts and heritage sector has certainly seen a shift toward repatriation. In relation to Cambridge University being the first institution to return a Benin Bronze, Sonita Alleyne, Master of Jesus College said ‘The tone has shifted and the implication is that the time of Africa bargaining for, begging for and buying back its stolen loot is over’. Similar commitments have been made by other US and European Museums, repatriating artefacts irrespective of how they were collected - although the British Museum, which has the most significant collection of Benin Bronzes, is yet to announce an agreement.
As the author of The Parthenon Marbles Dispute Alexander Herman has argued, the Government and the Museum should acknowledge the ethical landscape they are now situated within. The museum is not operating in a vacuum and museums are now expected to engage openly and fairly with artefacts’ countries of origin, as laid out by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Code of Ethics as well as the Arts Council England’s guidance on restitution and repatriation.
While the art world is moving into an increasingly ethical landscape, it is important to not overlook the wider political climate. Globally, nationalism is on the rise, and as Professor of Politics and Media Marina Prentoulis has argued, the political motives surrounding the repatriation of the marbles are worth scrutinising; with inflation rates rocketing and Greece, like the UK, in the grips of a cost of living crisis that shows little sign of abating, Prime Minister Mitsotakis could orchestrate a cultural win for Greece - in doing so boosting tourism, a key driver for the Greek economy.
Back in a BBC interview in November, Mitsotakis memorably likened the situation with the Marbles to tearing the Mona Lisa in half in an emotive plea for repatriation. The Greek Archaeological Association, however, has clashed with the Greek Government over its preservation of ancient Greek heritage, arguing that the government is prioritising economic considerations over the protection of sites. A reinforced concrete lift enabling disabled access to the Acropolis was condemned by some archaeologists as damaging the archaeological area. Yannis Hamilakis, professor of archaeology and modern Greek studies at Brown University, argued that the alterations played into the ‘neo-classical colonialist and nationalist dream’. Positing the marbles not as static artefacts, but as objects with a complex cultural biography, of which their significance to the Western world as detached symbols, outside of their original context as part of the Parthenon, is just as historically important as them being the pieces missing from the puzzle back at the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in Athens.
The British Museum has been under the spotlight again after the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was snubbed by Rishi Sunak who cancelled a meeting in which the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles was expected to be discussed. The museum has had swathes of bad press in the last year from viral Tiktok trends, highlighting how few British artefacts there are in the ‘British’ Museum, to more serious concerns involving pressure to relinquish sponsorship from British Petroleum, an intellectual property lawsuit by Chinese poet Yilin Wang, and the recent announcement that over 1,700 artefacts have been stolen by a senior member of the curatorial team.
Despite being the third most visited museum in the world, particularly after the pandemic, revenue is not meeting maintenance costs. Since the director Hartwig Fischer resigned, the Museum is seeking someone to fill his shoes, set with the mammoth task of repairing not only the leaking roof, and dilapidated galleries, but also the museum’s public image. As museums around the world negotiate the repatriation of high-profile items in their collection, the British Museum is under more pressure than ever to broker a deal which could see it lose one of its most eminent attractions.
Greece first made claims for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles in 1983 and has been pushing for the marbles’ return ever since. In 2015 the Greek Government dropped their legal case against the Museum over fears that a loss would risk sealing the fate of the marbles in Bloomsbury forever. Meanwhile, the British Museum and Westminster have played a game of Catch-22, with the museum claiming it is up to the Government to change the law while the Government claiming it is a matter for the Museum to deal with. The law in question is a piece of 1963 legislation forbidding the ‘deaccession’ of any item from the museum’s collection unless it is ‘unfit to be retained’. George Osbourne, the current Chair of Trustees at the museum, has been in discussion with the Greek Government for several years, proposing a solution in which the Marbles would be loaned to Greece, thereby circumnavigating the law. Of course, once loaned it is unlikely the marbles would ever return but would legally still be owned by the UK.
Sunak cancelling the meeting with Mitsotakis last minute signalled for the first time the Museum and Westminster are at odds. Number Ten has said that repatriating the Parthenon Marbles could lead to a ‘slippery slope’, and last year the then Secretary of State said; it would be a ‘dangerous road to go down’ while Boris Johnson, while Prime Minister, commented ‘If you give back the Elgin Marbles to Greece then… above all you have no answer in the years ahead to the theoretical claims for restitution from Egypt and Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Nigeria—everywhere whose treasures are housed in Bloomsbury.’
Rishi Sunak claimed he cancelled the meeting to prioritise domestic affairs and matters the ‘public really care about’; however, a YouGov poll released in July 23 revealed 64% of people in the UK now favour repatriation. Some even interpreted King Charles III wearing a Greek tie during COP28 as a symbol of support amid the diplomatic tension. The wider arts and heritage sector has certainly seen a shift toward repatriation. In relation to Cambridge University being the first institution to return a Benin Bronze, Sonita Alleyne, Master of Jesus College said ‘The tone has shifted and the implication is that the time of Africa bargaining for, begging for and buying back its stolen loot is over’. Similar commitments have been made by other US and European Museums, repatriating artefacts irrespective of how they were collected - although the British Museum, which has the most significant collection of Benin Bronzes, is yet to announce an agreement.
As the author of The Parthenon Marbles Dispute Alexander Herman has argued, the Government and the Museum should acknowledge the ethical landscape they are now situated within. The museum is not operating in a vacuum and museums are now expected to engage openly and fairly with artefacts’ countries of origin, as laid out by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Code of Ethics as well as the Arts Council England’s guidance on restitution and repatriation.
While the art world is moving into an increasingly ethical landscape, it is important to not overlook the wider political climate. Globally, nationalism is on the rise, and as Professor of Politics and Media Marina Prentoulis has argued, the political motives surrounding the repatriation of the marbles are worth scrutinising; with inflation rates rocketing and Greece, like the UK, in the grips of a cost of living crisis that shows little sign of abating, Prime Minister Mitsotakis could orchestrate a cultural win for Greece - in doing so boosting tourism, a key driver for the Greek economy.
Back in a BBC interview in November, Mitsotakis memorably likened the situation with the Marbles to tearing the Mona Lisa in half in an emotive plea for repatriation. The Greek Archaeological Association, however, has clashed with the Greek Government over its preservation of ancient Greek heritage, arguing that the government is prioritising economic considerations over the protection of sites. A reinforced concrete lift enabling disabled access to the Acropolis was condemned by some archaeologists as damaging the archaeological area. Yannis Hamilakis, professor of archaeology and modern Greek studies at Brown University, argued that the alterations played into the ‘neo-classical colonialist and nationalist dream’. Positing the marbles not as static artefacts, but as objects with a complex cultural biography, of which their significance to the Western world as detached symbols, outside of their original context as part of the Parthenon, is just as historically important as them being the pieces missing from the puzzle back at the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in Athens.
The British Museum has been under the spotlight again after the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was snubbed by Rishi Sunak who cancelled a meeting in which the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles was expected to be discussed. The museum has had swathes of bad press in the last year from viral Tiktok trends, highlighting how few British artefacts there are in the ‘British’ Museum, to more serious concerns involving pressure to relinquish sponsorship from British Petroleum, an intellectual property lawsuit by Chinese poet Yilin Wang, and the recent announcement that over 1,700 artefacts have been stolen by a senior member of the curatorial team.
Despite being the third most visited museum in the world, particularly after the pandemic, revenue is not meeting maintenance costs. Since the director Hartwig Fischer resigned, the Museum is seeking someone to fill his shoes, set with the mammoth task of repairing not only the leaking roof, and dilapidated galleries, but also the museum’s public image. As museums around the world negotiate the repatriation of high-profile items in their collection, the British Museum is under more pressure than ever to broker a deal which could see it lose one of its most eminent attractions.
Greece first made claims for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles in 1983 and has been pushing for the marbles’ return ever since. In 2015 the Greek Government dropped their legal case against the Museum over fears that a loss would risk sealing the fate of the marbles in Bloomsbury forever. Meanwhile, the British Museum and Westminster have played a game of Catch-22, with the museum claiming it is up to the Government to change the law while the Government claiming it is a matter for the Museum to deal with. The law in question is a piece of 1963 legislation forbidding the ‘deaccession’ of any item from the museum’s collection unless it is ‘unfit to be retained’. George Osbourne, the current Chair of Trustees at the museum, has been in discussion with the Greek Government for several years, proposing a solution in which the Marbles would be loaned to Greece, thereby circumnavigating the law. Of course, once loaned it is unlikely the marbles would ever return but would legally still be owned by the UK.
Sunak cancelling the meeting with Mitsotakis last minute signalled for the first time the Museum and Westminster are at odds. Number Ten has said that repatriating the Parthenon Marbles could lead to a ‘slippery slope’, and last year the then Secretary of State said; it would be a ‘dangerous road to go down’ while Boris Johnson, while Prime Minister, commented ‘If you give back the Elgin Marbles to Greece then… above all you have no answer in the years ahead to the theoretical claims for restitution from Egypt and Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Nigeria—everywhere whose treasures are housed in Bloomsbury.’
Rishi Sunak claimed he cancelled the meeting to prioritise domestic affairs and matters the ‘public really care about’; however, a YouGov poll released in July 23 revealed 64% of people in the UK now favour repatriation. Some even interpreted King Charles III wearing a Greek tie during COP28 as a symbol of support amid the diplomatic tension. The wider arts and heritage sector has certainly seen a shift toward repatriation. In relation to Cambridge University being the first institution to return a Benin Bronze, Sonita Alleyne, Master of Jesus College said ‘The tone has shifted and the implication is that the time of Africa bargaining for, begging for and buying back its stolen loot is over’. Similar commitments have been made by other US and European Museums, repatriating artefacts irrespective of how they were collected - although the British Museum, which has the most significant collection of Benin Bronzes, is yet to announce an agreement.
As the author of The Parthenon Marbles Dispute Alexander Herman has argued, the Government and the Museum should acknowledge the ethical landscape they are now situated within. The museum is not operating in a vacuum and museums are now expected to engage openly and fairly with artefacts’ countries of origin, as laid out by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Code of Ethics as well as the Arts Council England’s guidance on restitution and repatriation.
While the art world is moving into an increasingly ethical landscape, it is important to not overlook the wider political climate. Globally, nationalism is on the rise, and as Professor of Politics and Media Marina Prentoulis has argued, the political motives surrounding the repatriation of the marbles are worth scrutinising; with inflation rates rocketing and Greece, like the UK, in the grips of a cost of living crisis that shows little sign of abating, Prime Minister Mitsotakis could orchestrate a cultural win for Greece - in doing so boosting tourism, a key driver for the Greek economy.
Back in a BBC interview in November, Mitsotakis memorably likened the situation with the Marbles to tearing the Mona Lisa in half in an emotive plea for repatriation. The Greek Archaeological Association, however, has clashed with the Greek Government over its preservation of ancient Greek heritage, arguing that the government is prioritising economic considerations over the protection of sites. A reinforced concrete lift enabling disabled access to the Acropolis was condemned by some archaeologists as damaging the archaeological area. Yannis Hamilakis, professor of archaeology and modern Greek studies at Brown University, argued that the alterations played into the ‘neo-classical colonialist and nationalist dream’. Positing the marbles not as static artefacts, but as objects with a complex cultural biography, of which their significance to the Western world as detached symbols, outside of their original context as part of the Parthenon, is just as historically important as them being the pieces missing from the puzzle back at the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in Athens.
The British Museum has been under the spotlight again after the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was snubbed by Rishi Sunak who cancelled a meeting in which the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles was expected to be discussed. The museum has had swathes of bad press in the last year from viral Tiktok trends, highlighting how few British artefacts there are in the ‘British’ Museum, to more serious concerns involving pressure to relinquish sponsorship from British Petroleum, an intellectual property lawsuit by Chinese poet Yilin Wang, and the recent announcement that over 1,700 artefacts have been stolen by a senior member of the curatorial team.
Despite being the third most visited museum in the world, particularly after the pandemic, revenue is not meeting maintenance costs. Since the director Hartwig Fischer resigned, the Museum is seeking someone to fill his shoes, set with the mammoth task of repairing not only the leaking roof, and dilapidated galleries, but also the museum’s public image. As museums around the world negotiate the repatriation of high-profile items in their collection, the British Museum is under more pressure than ever to broker a deal which could see it lose one of its most eminent attractions.
Greece first made claims for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles in 1983 and has been pushing for the marbles’ return ever since. In 2015 the Greek Government dropped their legal case against the Museum over fears that a loss would risk sealing the fate of the marbles in Bloomsbury forever. Meanwhile, the British Museum and Westminster have played a game of Catch-22, with the museum claiming it is up to the Government to change the law while the Government claiming it is a matter for the Museum to deal with. The law in question is a piece of 1963 legislation forbidding the ‘deaccession’ of any item from the museum’s collection unless it is ‘unfit to be retained’. George Osbourne, the current Chair of Trustees at the museum, has been in discussion with the Greek Government for several years, proposing a solution in which the Marbles would be loaned to Greece, thereby circumnavigating the law. Of course, once loaned it is unlikely the marbles would ever return but would legally still be owned by the UK.
Sunak cancelling the meeting with Mitsotakis last minute signalled for the first time the Museum and Westminster are at odds. Number Ten has said that repatriating the Parthenon Marbles could lead to a ‘slippery slope’, and last year the then Secretary of State said; it would be a ‘dangerous road to go down’ while Boris Johnson, while Prime Minister, commented ‘If you give back the Elgin Marbles to Greece then… above all you have no answer in the years ahead to the theoretical claims for restitution from Egypt and Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Nigeria—everywhere whose treasures are housed in Bloomsbury.’
Rishi Sunak claimed he cancelled the meeting to prioritise domestic affairs and matters the ‘public really care about’; however, a YouGov poll released in July 23 revealed 64% of people in the UK now favour repatriation. Some even interpreted King Charles III wearing a Greek tie during COP28 as a symbol of support amid the diplomatic tension. The wider arts and heritage sector has certainly seen a shift toward repatriation. In relation to Cambridge University being the first institution to return a Benin Bronze, Sonita Alleyne, Master of Jesus College said ‘The tone has shifted and the implication is that the time of Africa bargaining for, begging for and buying back its stolen loot is over’. Similar commitments have been made by other US and European Museums, repatriating artefacts irrespective of how they were collected - although the British Museum, which has the most significant collection of Benin Bronzes, is yet to announce an agreement.
As the author of The Parthenon Marbles Dispute Alexander Herman has argued, the Government and the Museum should acknowledge the ethical landscape they are now situated within. The museum is not operating in a vacuum and museums are now expected to engage openly and fairly with artefacts’ countries of origin, as laid out by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Code of Ethics as well as the Arts Council England’s guidance on restitution and repatriation.
While the art world is moving into an increasingly ethical landscape, it is important to not overlook the wider political climate. Globally, nationalism is on the rise, and as Professor of Politics and Media Marina Prentoulis has argued, the political motives surrounding the repatriation of the marbles are worth scrutinising; with inflation rates rocketing and Greece, like the UK, in the grips of a cost of living crisis that shows little sign of abating, Prime Minister Mitsotakis could orchestrate a cultural win for Greece - in doing so boosting tourism, a key driver for the Greek economy.
Back in a BBC interview in November, Mitsotakis memorably likened the situation with the Marbles to tearing the Mona Lisa in half in an emotive plea for repatriation. The Greek Archaeological Association, however, has clashed with the Greek Government over its preservation of ancient Greek heritage, arguing that the government is prioritising economic considerations over the protection of sites. A reinforced concrete lift enabling disabled access to the Acropolis was condemned by some archaeologists as damaging the archaeological area. Yannis Hamilakis, professor of archaeology and modern Greek studies at Brown University, argued that the alterations played into the ‘neo-classical colonialist and nationalist dream’. Positing the marbles not as static artefacts, but as objects with a complex cultural biography, of which their significance to the Western world as detached symbols, outside of their original context as part of the Parthenon, is just as historically important as them being the pieces missing from the puzzle back at the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in Athens.
The British Museum has been under the spotlight again after the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was snubbed by Rishi Sunak who cancelled a meeting in which the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles was expected to be discussed. The museum has had swathes of bad press in the last year from viral Tiktok trends, highlighting how few British artefacts there are in the ‘British’ Museum, to more serious concerns involving pressure to relinquish sponsorship from British Petroleum, an intellectual property lawsuit by Chinese poet Yilin Wang, and the recent announcement that over 1,700 artefacts have been stolen by a senior member of the curatorial team.
Despite being the third most visited museum in the world, particularly after the pandemic, revenue is not meeting maintenance costs. Since the director Hartwig Fischer resigned, the Museum is seeking someone to fill his shoes, set with the mammoth task of repairing not only the leaking roof, and dilapidated galleries, but also the museum’s public image. As museums around the world negotiate the repatriation of high-profile items in their collection, the British Museum is under more pressure than ever to broker a deal which could see it lose one of its most eminent attractions.
Greece first made claims for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles in 1983 and has been pushing for the marbles’ return ever since. In 2015 the Greek Government dropped their legal case against the Museum over fears that a loss would risk sealing the fate of the marbles in Bloomsbury forever. Meanwhile, the British Museum and Westminster have played a game of Catch-22, with the museum claiming it is up to the Government to change the law while the Government claiming it is a matter for the Museum to deal with. The law in question is a piece of 1963 legislation forbidding the ‘deaccession’ of any item from the museum’s collection unless it is ‘unfit to be retained’. George Osbourne, the current Chair of Trustees at the museum, has been in discussion with the Greek Government for several years, proposing a solution in which the Marbles would be loaned to Greece, thereby circumnavigating the law. Of course, once loaned it is unlikely the marbles would ever return but would legally still be owned by the UK.
Sunak cancelling the meeting with Mitsotakis last minute signalled for the first time the Museum and Westminster are at odds. Number Ten has said that repatriating the Parthenon Marbles could lead to a ‘slippery slope’, and last year the then Secretary of State said; it would be a ‘dangerous road to go down’ while Boris Johnson, while Prime Minister, commented ‘If you give back the Elgin Marbles to Greece then… above all you have no answer in the years ahead to the theoretical claims for restitution from Egypt and Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Nigeria—everywhere whose treasures are housed in Bloomsbury.’
Rishi Sunak claimed he cancelled the meeting to prioritise domestic affairs and matters the ‘public really care about’; however, a YouGov poll released in July 23 revealed 64% of people in the UK now favour repatriation. Some even interpreted King Charles III wearing a Greek tie during COP28 as a symbol of support amid the diplomatic tension. The wider arts and heritage sector has certainly seen a shift toward repatriation. In relation to Cambridge University being the first institution to return a Benin Bronze, Sonita Alleyne, Master of Jesus College said ‘The tone has shifted and the implication is that the time of Africa bargaining for, begging for and buying back its stolen loot is over’. Similar commitments have been made by other US and European Museums, repatriating artefacts irrespective of how they were collected - although the British Museum, which has the most significant collection of Benin Bronzes, is yet to announce an agreement.
As the author of The Parthenon Marbles Dispute Alexander Herman has argued, the Government and the Museum should acknowledge the ethical landscape they are now situated within. The museum is not operating in a vacuum and museums are now expected to engage openly and fairly with artefacts’ countries of origin, as laid out by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Code of Ethics as well as the Arts Council England’s guidance on restitution and repatriation.
While the art world is moving into an increasingly ethical landscape, it is important to not overlook the wider political climate. Globally, nationalism is on the rise, and as Professor of Politics and Media Marina Prentoulis has argued, the political motives surrounding the repatriation of the marbles are worth scrutinising; with inflation rates rocketing and Greece, like the UK, in the grips of a cost of living crisis that shows little sign of abating, Prime Minister Mitsotakis could orchestrate a cultural win for Greece - in doing so boosting tourism, a key driver for the Greek economy.
Back in a BBC interview in November, Mitsotakis memorably likened the situation with the Marbles to tearing the Mona Lisa in half in an emotive plea for repatriation. The Greek Archaeological Association, however, has clashed with the Greek Government over its preservation of ancient Greek heritage, arguing that the government is prioritising economic considerations over the protection of sites. A reinforced concrete lift enabling disabled access to the Acropolis was condemned by some archaeologists as damaging the archaeological area. Yannis Hamilakis, professor of archaeology and modern Greek studies at Brown University, argued that the alterations played into the ‘neo-classical colonialist and nationalist dream’. Positing the marbles not as static artefacts, but as objects with a complex cultural biography, of which their significance to the Western world as detached symbols, outside of their original context as part of the Parthenon, is just as historically important as them being the pieces missing from the puzzle back at the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in Athens.
The British Museum has been under the spotlight again after the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was snubbed by Rishi Sunak who cancelled a meeting in which the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles was expected to be discussed. The museum has had swathes of bad press in the last year from viral Tiktok trends, highlighting how few British artefacts there are in the ‘British’ Museum, to more serious concerns involving pressure to relinquish sponsorship from British Petroleum, an intellectual property lawsuit by Chinese poet Yilin Wang, and the recent announcement that over 1,700 artefacts have been stolen by a senior member of the curatorial team.
Despite being the third most visited museum in the world, particularly after the pandemic, revenue is not meeting maintenance costs. Since the director Hartwig Fischer resigned, the Museum is seeking someone to fill his shoes, set with the mammoth task of repairing not only the leaking roof, and dilapidated galleries, but also the museum’s public image. As museums around the world negotiate the repatriation of high-profile items in their collection, the British Museum is under more pressure than ever to broker a deal which could see it lose one of its most eminent attractions.
Greece first made claims for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles in 1983 and has been pushing for the marbles’ return ever since. In 2015 the Greek Government dropped their legal case against the Museum over fears that a loss would risk sealing the fate of the marbles in Bloomsbury forever. Meanwhile, the British Museum and Westminster have played a game of Catch-22, with the museum claiming it is up to the Government to change the law while the Government claiming it is a matter for the Museum to deal with. The law in question is a piece of 1963 legislation forbidding the ‘deaccession’ of any item from the museum’s collection unless it is ‘unfit to be retained’. George Osbourne, the current Chair of Trustees at the museum, has been in discussion with the Greek Government for several years, proposing a solution in which the Marbles would be loaned to Greece, thereby circumnavigating the law. Of course, once loaned it is unlikely the marbles would ever return but would legally still be owned by the UK.
Sunak cancelling the meeting with Mitsotakis last minute signalled for the first time the Museum and Westminster are at odds. Number Ten has said that repatriating the Parthenon Marbles could lead to a ‘slippery slope’, and last year the then Secretary of State said; it would be a ‘dangerous road to go down’ while Boris Johnson, while Prime Minister, commented ‘If you give back the Elgin Marbles to Greece then… above all you have no answer in the years ahead to the theoretical claims for restitution from Egypt and Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Nigeria—everywhere whose treasures are housed in Bloomsbury.’
Rishi Sunak claimed he cancelled the meeting to prioritise domestic affairs and matters the ‘public really care about’; however, a YouGov poll released in July 23 revealed 64% of people in the UK now favour repatriation. Some even interpreted King Charles III wearing a Greek tie during COP28 as a symbol of support amid the diplomatic tension. The wider arts and heritage sector has certainly seen a shift toward repatriation. In relation to Cambridge University being the first institution to return a Benin Bronze, Sonita Alleyne, Master of Jesus College said ‘The tone has shifted and the implication is that the time of Africa bargaining for, begging for and buying back its stolen loot is over’. Similar commitments have been made by other US and European Museums, repatriating artefacts irrespective of how they were collected - although the British Museum, which has the most significant collection of Benin Bronzes, is yet to announce an agreement.
As the author of The Parthenon Marbles Dispute Alexander Herman has argued, the Government and the Museum should acknowledge the ethical landscape they are now situated within. The museum is not operating in a vacuum and museums are now expected to engage openly and fairly with artefacts’ countries of origin, as laid out by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Code of Ethics as well as the Arts Council England’s guidance on restitution and repatriation.
While the art world is moving into an increasingly ethical landscape, it is important to not overlook the wider political climate. Globally, nationalism is on the rise, and as Professor of Politics and Media Marina Prentoulis has argued, the political motives surrounding the repatriation of the marbles are worth scrutinising; with inflation rates rocketing and Greece, like the UK, in the grips of a cost of living crisis that shows little sign of abating, Prime Minister Mitsotakis could orchestrate a cultural win for Greece - in doing so boosting tourism, a key driver for the Greek economy.
Back in a BBC interview in November, Mitsotakis memorably likened the situation with the Marbles to tearing the Mona Lisa in half in an emotive plea for repatriation. The Greek Archaeological Association, however, has clashed with the Greek Government over its preservation of ancient Greek heritage, arguing that the government is prioritising economic considerations over the protection of sites. A reinforced concrete lift enabling disabled access to the Acropolis was condemned by some archaeologists as damaging the archaeological area. Yannis Hamilakis, professor of archaeology and modern Greek studies at Brown University, argued that the alterations played into the ‘neo-classical colonialist and nationalist dream’. Positing the marbles not as static artefacts, but as objects with a complex cultural biography, of which their significance to the Western world as detached symbols, outside of their original context as part of the Parthenon, is just as historically important as them being the pieces missing from the puzzle back at the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in Athens.
The British Museum has been under the spotlight again after the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was snubbed by Rishi Sunak who cancelled a meeting in which the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles was expected to be discussed. The museum has had swathes of bad press in the last year from viral Tiktok trends, highlighting how few British artefacts there are in the ‘British’ Museum, to more serious concerns involving pressure to relinquish sponsorship from British Petroleum, an intellectual property lawsuit by Chinese poet Yilin Wang, and the recent announcement that over 1,700 artefacts have been stolen by a senior member of the curatorial team.
Despite being the third most visited museum in the world, particularly after the pandemic, revenue is not meeting maintenance costs. Since the director Hartwig Fischer resigned, the Museum is seeking someone to fill his shoes, set with the mammoth task of repairing not only the leaking roof, and dilapidated galleries, but also the museum’s public image. As museums around the world negotiate the repatriation of high-profile items in their collection, the British Museum is under more pressure than ever to broker a deal which could see it lose one of its most eminent attractions.
Greece first made claims for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles in 1983 and has been pushing for the marbles’ return ever since. In 2015 the Greek Government dropped their legal case against the Museum over fears that a loss would risk sealing the fate of the marbles in Bloomsbury forever. Meanwhile, the British Museum and Westminster have played a game of Catch-22, with the museum claiming it is up to the Government to change the law while the Government claiming it is a matter for the Museum to deal with. The law in question is a piece of 1963 legislation forbidding the ‘deaccession’ of any item from the museum’s collection unless it is ‘unfit to be retained’. George Osbourne, the current Chair of Trustees at the museum, has been in discussion with the Greek Government for several years, proposing a solution in which the Marbles would be loaned to Greece, thereby circumnavigating the law. Of course, once loaned it is unlikely the marbles would ever return but would legally still be owned by the UK.
Sunak cancelling the meeting with Mitsotakis last minute signalled for the first time the Museum and Westminster are at odds. Number Ten has said that repatriating the Parthenon Marbles could lead to a ‘slippery slope’, and last year the then Secretary of State said; it would be a ‘dangerous road to go down’ while Boris Johnson, while Prime Minister, commented ‘If you give back the Elgin Marbles to Greece then… above all you have no answer in the years ahead to the theoretical claims for restitution from Egypt and Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Nigeria—everywhere whose treasures are housed in Bloomsbury.’
Rishi Sunak claimed he cancelled the meeting to prioritise domestic affairs and matters the ‘public really care about’; however, a YouGov poll released in July 23 revealed 64% of people in the UK now favour repatriation. Some even interpreted King Charles III wearing a Greek tie during COP28 as a symbol of support amid the diplomatic tension. The wider arts and heritage sector has certainly seen a shift toward repatriation. In relation to Cambridge University being the first institution to return a Benin Bronze, Sonita Alleyne, Master of Jesus College said ‘The tone has shifted and the implication is that the time of Africa bargaining for, begging for and buying back its stolen loot is over’. Similar commitments have been made by other US and European Museums, repatriating artefacts irrespective of how they were collected - although the British Museum, which has the most significant collection of Benin Bronzes, is yet to announce an agreement.
As the author of The Parthenon Marbles Dispute Alexander Herman has argued, the Government and the Museum should acknowledge the ethical landscape they are now situated within. The museum is not operating in a vacuum and museums are now expected to engage openly and fairly with artefacts’ countries of origin, as laid out by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Code of Ethics as well as the Arts Council England’s guidance on restitution and repatriation.
While the art world is moving into an increasingly ethical landscape, it is important to not overlook the wider political climate. Globally, nationalism is on the rise, and as Professor of Politics and Media Marina Prentoulis has argued, the political motives surrounding the repatriation of the marbles are worth scrutinising; with inflation rates rocketing and Greece, like the UK, in the grips of a cost of living crisis that shows little sign of abating, Prime Minister Mitsotakis could orchestrate a cultural win for Greece - in doing so boosting tourism, a key driver for the Greek economy.
Back in a BBC interview in November, Mitsotakis memorably likened the situation with the Marbles to tearing the Mona Lisa in half in an emotive plea for repatriation. The Greek Archaeological Association, however, has clashed with the Greek Government over its preservation of ancient Greek heritage, arguing that the government is prioritising economic considerations over the protection of sites. A reinforced concrete lift enabling disabled access to the Acropolis was condemned by some archaeologists as damaging the archaeological area. Yannis Hamilakis, professor of archaeology and modern Greek studies at Brown University, argued that the alterations played into the ‘neo-classical colonialist and nationalist dream’. Positing the marbles not as static artefacts, but as objects with a complex cultural biography, of which their significance to the Western world as detached symbols, outside of their original context as part of the Parthenon, is just as historically important as them being the pieces missing from the puzzle back at the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in Athens.
The British Museum has been under the spotlight again after the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was snubbed by Rishi Sunak who cancelled a meeting in which the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles was expected to be discussed. The museum has had swathes of bad press in the last year from viral Tiktok trends, highlighting how few British artefacts there are in the ‘British’ Museum, to more serious concerns involving pressure to relinquish sponsorship from British Petroleum, an intellectual property lawsuit by Chinese poet Yilin Wang, and the recent announcement that over 1,700 artefacts have been stolen by a senior member of the curatorial team.
Despite being the third most visited museum in the world, particularly after the pandemic, revenue is not meeting maintenance costs. Since the director Hartwig Fischer resigned, the Museum is seeking someone to fill his shoes, set with the mammoth task of repairing not only the leaking roof, and dilapidated galleries, but also the museum’s public image. As museums around the world negotiate the repatriation of high-profile items in their collection, the British Museum is under more pressure than ever to broker a deal which could see it lose one of its most eminent attractions.
Greece first made claims for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles in 1983 and has been pushing for the marbles’ return ever since. In 2015 the Greek Government dropped their legal case against the Museum over fears that a loss would risk sealing the fate of the marbles in Bloomsbury forever. Meanwhile, the British Museum and Westminster have played a game of Catch-22, with the museum claiming it is up to the Government to change the law while the Government claiming it is a matter for the Museum to deal with. The law in question is a piece of 1963 legislation forbidding the ‘deaccession’ of any item from the museum’s collection unless it is ‘unfit to be retained’. George Osbourne, the current Chair of Trustees at the museum, has been in discussion with the Greek Government for several years, proposing a solution in which the Marbles would be loaned to Greece, thereby circumnavigating the law. Of course, once loaned it is unlikely the marbles would ever return but would legally still be owned by the UK.
Sunak cancelling the meeting with Mitsotakis last minute signalled for the first time the Museum and Westminster are at odds. Number Ten has said that repatriating the Parthenon Marbles could lead to a ‘slippery slope’, and last year the then Secretary of State said; it would be a ‘dangerous road to go down’ while Boris Johnson, while Prime Minister, commented ‘If you give back the Elgin Marbles to Greece then… above all you have no answer in the years ahead to the theoretical claims for restitution from Egypt and Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Nigeria—everywhere whose treasures are housed in Bloomsbury.’
Rishi Sunak claimed he cancelled the meeting to prioritise domestic affairs and matters the ‘public really care about’; however, a YouGov poll released in July 23 revealed 64% of people in the UK now favour repatriation. Some even interpreted King Charles III wearing a Greek tie during COP28 as a symbol of support amid the diplomatic tension. The wider arts and heritage sector has certainly seen a shift toward repatriation. In relation to Cambridge University being the first institution to return a Benin Bronze, Sonita Alleyne, Master of Jesus College said ‘The tone has shifted and the implication is that the time of Africa bargaining for, begging for and buying back its stolen loot is over’. Similar commitments have been made by other US and European Museums, repatriating artefacts irrespective of how they were collected - although the British Museum, which has the most significant collection of Benin Bronzes, is yet to announce an agreement.
As the author of The Parthenon Marbles Dispute Alexander Herman has argued, the Government and the Museum should acknowledge the ethical landscape they are now situated within. The museum is not operating in a vacuum and museums are now expected to engage openly and fairly with artefacts’ countries of origin, as laid out by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Code of Ethics as well as the Arts Council England’s guidance on restitution and repatriation.
While the art world is moving into an increasingly ethical landscape, it is important to not overlook the wider political climate. Globally, nationalism is on the rise, and as Professor of Politics and Media Marina Prentoulis has argued, the political motives surrounding the repatriation of the marbles are worth scrutinising; with inflation rates rocketing and Greece, like the UK, in the grips of a cost of living crisis that shows little sign of abating, Prime Minister Mitsotakis could orchestrate a cultural win for Greece - in doing so boosting tourism, a key driver for the Greek economy.
Back in a BBC interview in November, Mitsotakis memorably likened the situation with the Marbles to tearing the Mona Lisa in half in an emotive plea for repatriation. The Greek Archaeological Association, however, has clashed with the Greek Government over its preservation of ancient Greek heritage, arguing that the government is prioritising economic considerations over the protection of sites. A reinforced concrete lift enabling disabled access to the Acropolis was condemned by some archaeologists as damaging the archaeological area. Yannis Hamilakis, professor of archaeology and modern Greek studies at Brown University, argued that the alterations played into the ‘neo-classical colonialist and nationalist dream’. Positing the marbles not as static artefacts, but as objects with a complex cultural biography, of which their significance to the Western world as detached symbols, outside of their original context as part of the Parthenon, is just as historically important as them being the pieces missing from the puzzle back at the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in Athens.
The British Museum has been under the spotlight again after the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was snubbed by Rishi Sunak who cancelled a meeting in which the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles was expected to be discussed. The museum has had swathes of bad press in the last year from viral Tiktok trends, highlighting how few British artefacts there are in the ‘British’ Museum, to more serious concerns involving pressure to relinquish sponsorship from British Petroleum, an intellectual property lawsuit by Chinese poet Yilin Wang, and the recent announcement that over 1,700 artefacts have been stolen by a senior member of the curatorial team.
Despite being the third most visited museum in the world, particularly after the pandemic, revenue is not meeting maintenance costs. Since the director Hartwig Fischer resigned, the Museum is seeking someone to fill his shoes, set with the mammoth task of repairing not only the leaking roof, and dilapidated galleries, but also the museum’s public image. As museums around the world negotiate the repatriation of high-profile items in their collection, the British Museum is under more pressure than ever to broker a deal which could see it lose one of its most eminent attractions.
Greece first made claims for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles in 1983 and has been pushing for the marbles’ return ever since. In 2015 the Greek Government dropped their legal case against the Museum over fears that a loss would risk sealing the fate of the marbles in Bloomsbury forever. Meanwhile, the British Museum and Westminster have played a game of Catch-22, with the museum claiming it is up to the Government to change the law while the Government claiming it is a matter for the Museum to deal with. The law in question is a piece of 1963 legislation forbidding the ‘deaccession’ of any item from the museum’s collection unless it is ‘unfit to be retained’. George Osbourne, the current Chair of Trustees at the museum, has been in discussion with the Greek Government for several years, proposing a solution in which the Marbles would be loaned to Greece, thereby circumnavigating the law. Of course, once loaned it is unlikely the marbles would ever return but would legally still be owned by the UK.
Sunak cancelling the meeting with Mitsotakis last minute signalled for the first time the Museum and Westminster are at odds. Number Ten has said that repatriating the Parthenon Marbles could lead to a ‘slippery slope’, and last year the then Secretary of State said; it would be a ‘dangerous road to go down’ while Boris Johnson, while Prime Minister, commented ‘If you give back the Elgin Marbles to Greece then… above all you have no answer in the years ahead to the theoretical claims for restitution from Egypt and Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Nigeria—everywhere whose treasures are housed in Bloomsbury.’
Rishi Sunak claimed he cancelled the meeting to prioritise domestic affairs and matters the ‘public really care about’; however, a YouGov poll released in July 23 revealed 64% of people in the UK now favour repatriation. Some even interpreted King Charles III wearing a Greek tie during COP28 as a symbol of support amid the diplomatic tension. The wider arts and heritage sector has certainly seen a shift toward repatriation. In relation to Cambridge University being the first institution to return a Benin Bronze, Sonita Alleyne, Master of Jesus College said ‘The tone has shifted and the implication is that the time of Africa bargaining for, begging for and buying back its stolen loot is over’. Similar commitments have been made by other US and European Museums, repatriating artefacts irrespective of how they were collected - although the British Museum, which has the most significant collection of Benin Bronzes, is yet to announce an agreement.
As the author of The Parthenon Marbles Dispute Alexander Herman has argued, the Government and the Museum should acknowledge the ethical landscape they are now situated within. The museum is not operating in a vacuum and museums are now expected to engage openly and fairly with artefacts’ countries of origin, as laid out by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Code of Ethics as well as the Arts Council England’s guidance on restitution and repatriation.
While the art world is moving into an increasingly ethical landscape, it is important to not overlook the wider political climate. Globally, nationalism is on the rise, and as Professor of Politics and Media Marina Prentoulis has argued, the political motives surrounding the repatriation of the marbles are worth scrutinising; with inflation rates rocketing and Greece, like the UK, in the grips of a cost of living crisis that shows little sign of abating, Prime Minister Mitsotakis could orchestrate a cultural win for Greece - in doing so boosting tourism, a key driver for the Greek economy.
Back in a BBC interview in November, Mitsotakis memorably likened the situation with the Marbles to tearing the Mona Lisa in half in an emotive plea for repatriation. The Greek Archaeological Association, however, has clashed with the Greek Government over its preservation of ancient Greek heritage, arguing that the government is prioritising economic considerations over the protection of sites. A reinforced concrete lift enabling disabled access to the Acropolis was condemned by some archaeologists as damaging the archaeological area. Yannis Hamilakis, professor of archaeology and modern Greek studies at Brown University, argued that the alterations played into the ‘neo-classical colonialist and nationalist dream’. Positing the marbles not as static artefacts, but as objects with a complex cultural biography, of which their significance to the Western world as detached symbols, outside of their original context as part of the Parthenon, is just as historically important as them being the pieces missing from the puzzle back at the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in Athens.
The British Museum has been under the spotlight again after the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was snubbed by Rishi Sunak who cancelled a meeting in which the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles was expected to be discussed. The museum has had swathes of bad press in the last year from viral Tiktok trends, highlighting how few British artefacts there are in the ‘British’ Museum, to more serious concerns involving pressure to relinquish sponsorship from British Petroleum, an intellectual property lawsuit by Chinese poet Yilin Wang, and the recent announcement that over 1,700 artefacts have been stolen by a senior member of the curatorial team.
Despite being the third most visited museum in the world, particularly after the pandemic, revenue is not meeting maintenance costs. Since the director Hartwig Fischer resigned, the Museum is seeking someone to fill his shoes, set with the mammoth task of repairing not only the leaking roof, and dilapidated galleries, but also the museum’s public image. As museums around the world negotiate the repatriation of high-profile items in their collection, the British Museum is under more pressure than ever to broker a deal which could see it lose one of its most eminent attractions.
Greece first made claims for the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles in 1983 and has been pushing for the marbles’ return ever since. In 2015 the Greek Government dropped their legal case against the Museum over fears that a loss would risk sealing the fate of the marbles in Bloomsbury forever. Meanwhile, the British Museum and Westminster have played a game of Catch-22, with the museum claiming it is up to the Government to change the law while the Government claiming it is a matter for the Museum to deal with. The law in question is a piece of 1963 legislation forbidding the ‘deaccession’ of any item from the museum’s collection unless it is ‘unfit to be retained’. George Osbourne, the current Chair of Trustees at the museum, has been in discussion with the Greek Government for several years, proposing a solution in which the Marbles would be loaned to Greece, thereby circumnavigating the law. Of course, once loaned it is unlikely the marbles would ever return but would legally still be owned by the UK.
Sunak cancelling the meeting with Mitsotakis last minute signalled for the first time the Museum and Westminster are at odds. Number Ten has said that repatriating the Parthenon Marbles could lead to a ‘slippery slope’, and last year the then Secretary of State said; it would be a ‘dangerous road to go down’ while Boris Johnson, while Prime Minister, commented ‘If you give back the Elgin Marbles to Greece then… above all you have no answer in the years ahead to the theoretical claims for restitution from Egypt and Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Nigeria—everywhere whose treasures are housed in Bloomsbury.’
Rishi Sunak claimed he cancelled the meeting to prioritise domestic affairs and matters the ‘public really care about’; however, a YouGov poll released in July 23 revealed 64% of people in the UK now favour repatriation. Some even interpreted King Charles III wearing a Greek tie during COP28 as a symbol of support amid the diplomatic tension. The wider arts and heritage sector has certainly seen a shift toward repatriation. In relation to Cambridge University being the first institution to return a Benin Bronze, Sonita Alleyne, Master of Jesus College said ‘The tone has shifted and the implication is that the time of Africa bargaining for, begging for and buying back its stolen loot is over’. Similar commitments have been made by other US and European Museums, repatriating artefacts irrespective of how they were collected - although the British Museum, which has the most significant collection of Benin Bronzes, is yet to announce an agreement.
As the author of The Parthenon Marbles Dispute Alexander Herman has argued, the Government and the Museum should acknowledge the ethical landscape they are now situated within. The museum is not operating in a vacuum and museums are now expected to engage openly and fairly with artefacts’ countries of origin, as laid out by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Code of Ethics as well as the Arts Council England’s guidance on restitution and repatriation.
While the art world is moving into an increasingly ethical landscape, it is important to not overlook the wider political climate. Globally, nationalism is on the rise, and as Professor of Politics and Media Marina Prentoulis has argued, the political motives surrounding the repatriation of the marbles are worth scrutinising; with inflation rates rocketing and Greece, like the UK, in the grips of a cost of living crisis that shows little sign of abating, Prime Minister Mitsotakis could orchestrate a cultural win for Greece - in doing so boosting tourism, a key driver for the Greek economy.
Back in a BBC interview in November, Mitsotakis memorably likened the situation with the Marbles to tearing the Mona Lisa in half in an emotive plea for repatriation. The Greek Archaeological Association, however, has clashed with the Greek Government over its preservation of ancient Greek heritage, arguing that the government is prioritising economic considerations over the protection of sites. A reinforced concrete lift enabling disabled access to the Acropolis was condemned by some archaeologists as damaging the archaeological area. Yannis Hamilakis, professor of archaeology and modern Greek studies at Brown University, argued that the alterations played into the ‘neo-classical colonialist and nationalist dream’. Positing the marbles not as static artefacts, but as objects with a complex cultural biography, of which their significance to the Western world as detached symbols, outside of their original context as part of the Parthenon, is just as historically important as them being the pieces missing from the puzzle back at the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in Athens.
