George Osborne, president of the British Museum, has stated that the Parthenon marbles will remain in the Foundation’s London collection under his watch, in a sharp rebuke of the growing pressure for the sculptures to be returned to Greece.
according to art newspaperAnd the Osborne, a former adviser to the UK government, commented on the ethical question of owning the looted sculptures at the foundation’s annual trustees dinner on 2 November.
We hear voices demanding compensation. But creating this world-class British Museum has been a dedicated work of several generations. “Dismantling it must not become a neglected business of a single generation.”
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Osborne said that British law supports this position, citing the British Museum Act 1963, which restricts the abolition of ownership of museum holdings.
Referring to the list of reparations enacted in museums around the world, Osborne said, “How do we expect to escape the whirlpool of the moment? We don’t. But don’t expect us to be passive in the face of it.”
Osborne made it possible to return artifacts – many of which were violently seized by the British Empire during colonial periods – to institutions in their home countries on a temporary basis.
“For some communities, the status quo is not good enough,” he said. “I am confident that there are long-term partnerships to be struck.”
The Parthenon Marbles, a group of primitive relief panels and carvings taken from the Parthenon in Athens by Lord Elgin, the Scottish ambassador to Greece, in 1801, is the most contested loot found in the British Museum. Osborne’s toughness on the issue of their compensation is sure to draw criticism from officials in Athens. Speaking in June, Osborne signaled a softening of the foundation’s position on their return, saying in a radio interview “there was a deal to be done” regarding a potential loan agreement.
Attention appears to have shifted at the British Museum to a major renovation plan that will prioritize the old infrastructure of the galleries housing artifacts from Egypt and ancient Mediterranean civilizations, few of which have been constantly open over the past three years for repair. Concerns were raised about the condition of the precious marble after several reports of water logging at the Parthenon Gallery, as well as ventilation issues.
Deteriorating conditions in Western sculpture galleries have prompted calls for the foundation to return the sculptures for display at the Acropolis State Museum, which opened in 2009 in Athens.
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