British Museum reportedly in talks with Greece re: Elgin Marbles

Part of the group of ancient Greek sculptures known as the Elgin Marbles, aka the Parthenon Sculptures, photographed on display at the British Museum in August 2006. On December 3, a Greek newspaper claimed that museum officials and the Greek prime minister had conducted secret talks regarding the possible return of the sculptures. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Urban. Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.
Part of the group of ancient Greek sculptures known as the Elgin Marbles, aka the Parthenon Sculptures, photographed on display at the British Museum in May 2014. On December 3, a Greek newspaper claimed that museum officials and the Greek prime minister had conducted secret talks regarding the possible return of the sculptures. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Carole Raddato. Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
Part of the group of ancient Greek sculptures known as the Elgin Marbles, aka the Parthenon Sculptures, photographed on display at the British Museum in May 2014. On December 3, a Greek newspaper claimed that museum officials and the Greek prime minister had conducted secret talks regarding the possible return of the sculptures. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Carole Raddato. Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

LONDON (AP) – The British Museum has pledged not to dismantle its collection, following a report that the institution’s chairman has held secret talks with Greece’s prime minister regarding the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles. The report by the Greek newspaper Ta Nea is the latest twist in the long-running dispute centering on the ownership of the ancient sculptures, which originally stood on the Acropolis in Athens and have been part of the British Museum’s collection since 1816.

Continue reading

Italian museum sending Parthenon fragment to Athens in nudge to UK

The Parthenon temple, shown at night. The A. Salinas Archaeological Museum in Sicily, Italy announced a four-year loan of a Parthenon frieze fragment to the Acropolis Museum in Athens, an act designed to nudge the British Museum and other European institutions to return their holdings of Parthenon marbles to Greece. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, taken by Athanasios Benisis in September 2004 and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
The Parthenon temple, shown at night. The A. Salinas Archaeological Museum in Sicily, Italy announced a four-year loan of a Parthenon frieze fragment to the Acropolis Museum in Athens, an act designed to nudge the British Museum and other European institutions to return their holdings of Parthenon marbles to Greece. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, taken by Athanasios Benisis in September 2004 and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
The Parthenon temple, shown at night. The A. Salinas Archaeological Museum in Sicily, Italy announced a four-year loan of a Parthenon frieze fragment to the Acropolis Museum in Athens, an act designed to nudge the British Museum and other European institutions to return their holdings of Parthenon marbles to Greece. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, taken by Athanasios Benisis in September 2004 and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

ROME (AP) – An Italian museum is lending a fragment of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece, in what both sides hope will become a permanent return that might encourage others – the British Museum, in particular – to send their own pieces of the works back, too.

Continue reading