Charlotte Higgins on the Parthenon Marbles: 'repatriation is today’s question, and almost certainly tomorrow’s, too'

Charlotte Higgins asks a timely question in the Guardian today: 'The Parthenon marbles belong in Greece – so why is restitution so hard to swallow?'

Times are changing and Charlotte explores the developments in cultural restitution. Especially as Museums are returning artefacts and considering requests for more.

The request for the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles is an old one and has made headlines for decades. Yet recently the articles are suggesting that the time to engage in talks is now. UNESCO's ICPRCP emphasised their recommrndations at the end of September for bi-lateral talks. The UK objected.

The sculptures forcibly removed by Lord Elgin have celebrated over 200 years in the British Museum, whilst their surviving halves are exhibited in the top floor, glass walled Parthenon Gallery of the Acropolis Museum since June 2009.

Charlotte also reflects that even if we ' think Lord Elgin was acting lawfully, given how many terrible things through history have been done within the rule of law. The case for return has seemed all the more compelling since the 2009 opening of the Acropolis Museum, whose airy galleries, in sight of the temple itself, do such a wonderful job of telling the story of the Parthenon. By comparison, the British Museum’s Duveen Gallery can seem bleak and depressing.'

The request for the reunification of these sculptures began after Greece's indepence and became memorable in the 80's with then Greek Ministe of Culture Melina Mercouri's passionate pleas. They have continued and are as recent as last month with the words used by the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis as he praised the Times leader article, suggesting that reuniting the sculptures was the right thing to do.

Last month Greece welcomed a tiny fragment from Palermo. Despite the size of this fragment, the joy was huge and felt right across the globe. Next week the Greek Minister of Culture, Dr Lina Mendoni and the new General Director of the Acropolis Museum, Professor Nikos Stampolidis will travel to Palermo. Cultural co-operation between Italy and Greece is thriving.

Will gobal Britain also see the merit of engaging with Greece in paving the way to reunite the Parthenon Marbles?  

Charlotte goes on to conclude: 'The sensible course is for the government to institute an expert panel to hammer out principles on which repatriation claims to national museums can be soberly assessed, as has now long been done for artefacts linked to the Holocaust. The Westminster government with its wilful nativism seems unlikely to be minded to do that. But repatriation is today’s question. And almost certainly tomorrow’s, too.'

To read Charlotte Higgins' article in full, follow the lik here.

Charlotte Higgins is the auhor of 'Greek Myths, A New Retelling', published 09 November 2021.