Category Archives: Greece

Alexander Herman interviewed by The Art Newspaper about continuing developments in the Parthenon Marbles debate

Posted on: March 3, 2020 by Charlotte Dunn

Alexander Herman, IAL’s Assistant Director, was interviewed last month by The Art Newspaper for its weekly podcast to address the ongoing debate over ‘Who owns the Parthenon Marbles?’. In the interview, Alex discusses the recently leaked draft EU document which has raised speculation over whether the marbles could be drawn into deliberations about the future […]

European Court rejects Elgin Marbles claim

Posted on: August 1, 2016 by Alexander Herman

We had earlier this year reported on a claim lodged at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg by an independent Athenian association seeking the return of the Parthenon Marbles. The claim of the Syllogos Ton Athinaion (or ‘Athenians’ Association’) has been rejected by the Court on admissibility grounds. In a short ruling dated 23 June 2016 […]

Bill in UK Parliament to return Elgin Marbles

Posted on: July 15, 2016 by Alexander Herman

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. The title of this post is correct. There is currently a Bill before the UK Parliament to return the Elgin Marbles (aka the Parthenon Marbles) to Greece. It received its first reading in the House of Commons on Monday, 11th July, and is scheduled for a second reading on […]

Athenian group brings human rights claim for return of Parthenon Sculptures

Posted on: February 22, 2016 by Alexander Herman

Following the rejection of UNESCO’s mediation proposal by the UK government and the British Museum in March 2015, a Greek entity called the ‘Athenians’ Association’ has decided to bring an action seeking the return of the Parthenon Sculptures (or Elgin Marbles) before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasburg. According to last week’s press statement, the claim […]

Criticism mounts ahead of BM show on Aboriginal art

Posted on: April 20, 2015 by Alexander Herman

Having highlighted the issue in an earlier post, the criticism of the upcoming British Museum exhibition, Indigenous Australia: Enduring Civilization (a purposely ambiguous title?) has become more vociferous with a cutting article published recently in The Guardian provocatively entitled ‘Preservation or plunder? The battle over the British Museum’s Indigenous Australian show’. Past events involving the Dja Dja Wurrung bark etchings are […]

UK and British Museum reject Marbles mediation request

Posted on: March 30, 2015 by Alexander Herman

With an end of March deadline looming, the UK government and the British Museum have at last responded to UNESCO’s request to enter into mediation with Greece regarding the future treatment of the Elgin (or Parthenon) Marbles. The request was made on 9 August 2013 at the behest of Greece (both the UK and Greece are members […]

UK Parliamentary motion for the Marbles’ return

Posted on: March 10, 2015 by Alexander Herman

Yesterday, an ‘early day motion‘ was presented before the UK Parliament by MP Andrew George calling on Britain to engage in a ‘gracious act’ and reunite the sculptures at the British Museum (aka the Elgin Marbles) with those kept in Athens’s purpose-built Acropolis Museum, ‘in the shadow of the monument to which they belong’. More specifically, the motion calls […]

Greek elections… and the Marbles

Posted on: January 28, 2015 by Alexander Herman

All eyes in Europe were turned towards Greece this past Sunday as the general election resulted in a victory for the Coalition of the Radical Left (SIRIZA) led by the young Alexis Tsipras. Following a surprising union with a right-wing anti-austerity party, ANEL, the coalition now has a majority in the legislature and Tsipras has become Prime Minister. His cabinet was sworn in yesterday. As […]

New out-loans of antiquities from Greece

Posted on: December 16, 2014 by Alexander Herman

Much has been made in the last while about the loan of the Ilissus statue from the British Museum to the Hermitage in Putin’s St Petersburg. But relatively little coverage has been given to a number of loans from 21 Greek museums for a series of shows across North America over the next year. The exhibition The Greeks […]

Reactions to loan of Parthenon statue

Posted on: December 11, 2014 by Alexander Herman

It was a front page story in The Times of London last Friday. It was on the front page of the New York Times the next day. But generally, how has the reaction been to the trustees of the British Museum loaning the statue of river god Ilissus to the Hermitage in St Petersburg? To say the least, it caught […]