TAN The Art Newspaper 23 November 2021

Martin Bailey reports on the classified documents on the sculptures from the Parthenon, compiled in 1991. 

David Miers, became British Ambassador in Athens in 1989 and in 1991 organised a visit to Athens for the then Conservative arts minister Timothy Renton. After this visit, David Miers wrote a report for the Foreign Office which was passed on to the Office of Arts and Libraries (a precursor to the government’s culture department). In this report the UK Ambassador referred to the Parthenon Marbles as an "issue on which we can never win: the best we can do is to keep our heads down as far as possible: and avoid using defensive arguments here in Greece which will sound hollow in Greek ears.”

“For instance I do not think the argument about the trustees of the museum is a very good one for use here. The Greeks know that we could legislate [to allow deaccessioning] if we wanted: the problem for them is that we don’t want [to].” 

A separate letter in the file argues that the Marbles would be safer in London than Athens. A foreign office official wrote that the British government cited “environmental concerns as further reasons for keeping the Marbles in their controlled environment in the British Museum”, in view of “severe air pollution in Athens”.

Then in 2009 the Acropolis Museum opened, and  this year the British Museum has closed Room 18 for maintenance. Reports of the leaking glass roof began in December 2019 and in January and February 2020 heaters where placed in this room whilst in the summer months, the fire exit door was left open for ventilation, underlining the lack of climate controls. This year's closure of Room 18 continues.

During his meeting with Prime Minister Johnson, Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pointed out that Greece still holds the UK government responsible for the continued presence of the Marbles in the British Museum.

To read the full article, please follow the link here.

Telegraph 26 November 2021

The Telegraph article cites The Art Newspaper article quoting the British Ambassador to Greece, Sir David Miers, admitting that the UK would not win the argument on the division of the Parthenon Marbles between Athens and London.

The Telegraph also picks up on a letter written by Johnson in 2012 when he was Mayor of London, where he admits that the sculptures from the Parthenon "should have never been removed from the Acropolis."

Saturday 27 November 2021, TA NEA

UK Correspondent Yannis Andritsopoulos interviews Denis MacShane and writes about the opportunity to reunite the sculptures when Tony Blair became Prime Minister.

Denis MacShane goes on to add that he'd met up with George Osborne at a recent function and the matter of the sculptures was raised, however George Osborne, just into his position as the new Chair of the British Museum, was 'full of contempt'.

George Osborne as part of the establishment will no doubt feel that he can be dismissive on this issue and follow the well rehearsed example of successive British Museum Directors and Chairs of the Trustees.

When Hartwig Fisher described the continued division of the Parrthenon Marbles as 'creative', the media world exploded, and when Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with Prime Minister Mitsotakis failing yet again to accept the UK governments responsibility, the media world found more letters and documents to prove that this dismissive attitude by the UK Government is not new. And yet times are changing. Where will the UK stand as more museums are doing their best to return artefacts removed from countries of origin where the voice of that nation, at that time, was not to be heard? History doesn't have to be rewritten for old wrongs to be put right, for there are cases when we can do better than just roll out contempt.

George Osborne made his first official speechduring a dinner held at the British Museum by the Trsutee on Wednesday 24 November. And in reading it, one can but conclude that there will be no visionary changes at the British Museum, with the exception of the new Museum in Nigeria to house the Benin Bronzes.This museum is designed by architect David Adjaye.

But is the lady for turning? Some believe that PM Truss will change her mind on the question of the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles. Amongst those looking to convince UK's new Prime Minister, is Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Just last month at the UN General Assembly in his address, PM Mitsotakis also spoke of the reunification of the sculptures. This was also amplified at The Spectator Conservative Party Conference fringe event on Tuesday 04 October:

The Elgin Marbles or The Parthenon Sculptures: what is the solution? 

How can we justify keeping the Elgin marbles in the British Museum?  The Spectator’s James Forsyth and special guests discussed how to bring an end to the Parthenon Sculptures dispute.

Speakers: Lord Vaizey, Former Culture Minister; Sarah Baxter, columnist, Sunday Times; Lord Parkinson, former Minister for Arts; Madeline Grant, parliamentary sketchwriter for the Daily Telegraph.

Ed Vaizey said: "The Parthenon sculptures belong to the Parthenon" ,( and he added) that the Acropolis Museum in Athens is a world-class museum.

We concurr about the Acropolis Museum, as it is here in the top floor, glassed walled Parthenon Gallery that the Parthenon Marbles not removed, are displayed the right way round and with direct views to the Parthenon. When Lord Elgin decided to remove half of the sculptures, they were destined to decorate his ancestral home, a fire sale resulted in their current location, the British Museum. Greece has been requesting their return since post independence.

Sarah Baxter and Ed Vaizey supporting the reunification at the event in Birmingham, won the room, according to James Forsyth. To read James Forsyth's article in The Spectator, follow the link here.

Sarah also tweeted:

as did Dino Sofos, Founder CEO,Persephonica & Executive Producer of The News Agents podcast

Prime Minister Liz Truss' rejection of the possible reunification of the Parthenon Marbles was covered in ARTnews by Tessa Solomon:

"As museums across Europe and the United States reckon with the looted artifacts in their collections, the British Museum has been forced to confront the controversies in their holdings.

In June, an advocacy group called the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles organized a protest at the British Museum, marking the 13th anniversary of the inauguration of the Acropolis Museum in Athens. The museum was purpose-built to display the marbles and other treasures of Greek antiquity.

Perhaps in response to the sustained outcry, the British Museum has signaled a softening of its stance towards the issue."

We certainly hope that there is a duty of care for these divided sculptures, which supports their reunification in the Acropolis Museum, and for all the right reasons.

From the Times'  Leading articles on page 27,  12 January 2022

To read the article on line, please visit the link here.

Tweet by Sarah Baxter, former deputy editor of the Sunday Times, who spoke alongside Janet Suzman and Paul Cartledge in Athens for the conference held at the Acropolis Museum on the 15th of April 2019: 

To the comment piece by Richard Morrison, chief culture writer for The Times on 11 January, 2022 and subsequent letter from BCRPM's Professor Paul Cartledge and Janet Suzman, on page 26, the Letters Page,12 January 2022.