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Next year in Athens

The Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum and the Greek claims for restitution

By Gustav W. Trampitsch

If you look at the panorama of Athens from the Philopappos Hill, you forget how hot, dusty, noisy and hectic the four-million metropolis is. Your gaze automatically leaves the white and yellow sea of houses and directs itself to the unique structure on the Acropolis which is part of our world cultural heritage. Absolute beauty and elegance never wear thin, not even under the onslaught of tourist overkill. The relief and sculptural decorations of the Parthenon Temple are the first great sculptural ensemble in the history of art that can be described as 'art in building'. Just over half of it has been far away in the British Museum of London for 200 years.

Poster of the Greek Synaspismos Party: "The Elgin Marbles are the Parthenon Marbles"

At the beginning of the 19th century, Thomas Bruce 7th Earl of Elgin was British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. The Lord was passionately involved in favour of the Greek fight for liberation, but on the other hand he took his enthusiasm for the antique to extremes as well. In those times, the sculptures on the Acropolis were severely endangered as the Turks were in occupation. Elgin presumably wanted to prevent the worst and promptly bought the art works from the Turks. The contract is disputed to this day. Then he simply had the relief cut from the marble blocks and transported away together with the sculptures. By today's standards of conservation, this dismantling was rather an act of vandalism than an intervention for restoration.

In 1813 Elgin offered to sell it all to the British Museum. The sale was agreed and since that time the Parthenon Marbles have been the central focus of interest in the British collection of antiquities. None ever thought of consulting the Greeks about this whole affair.

The former Minister Melina Mercouri made vehement claims for the return of the Parthenon Friezes.

When she became Greek Minister for Culture in 1983, Melina Mercouri made a passionate appeal for the restitution of the so-called Parthenon Marbles. In a TV interview that I held with her on behalf of Austrian Broadcasting Mercouri expressly emphasised that the Greeks had no intention of "emptying Europe's museums by claiming back Aphrodite or Nike." She was only claiming the relief and sculptures from the Parthenon. She described these as "our soul that we want to have back". Melina Mercouri pointed out that the Elgin transaction was disputed at the type and, for example, had been described by Lord Byron as a barbaric act.

Just under 25 years later, the reaction of the British Museum remains unchanged although this attitude is being met with an increasing large number of people and institutions favouring the restitution. In April last year I interviewed Giorgos Voulgarakis, the current Minister for Culture in Greece, in Athens, as follows:

GWT: Innumerable antiquarian works of art are scattered all over the world. What, in your opinion, makes the Parthenon sculptures so unique?

G.Voulgarkis: The Parthenon is the unique, top-ranking monument that symbolises the spirit of Europe. It encapsulates the basic humanist principles. The sculptures have been ripped off from their historic location and the Parthenon stands mutilated. To use a term from ancient Greek tragedy this constitutes 'hubris'. Seen from this point of view, the demand for the return of the sculptures and their reunification with the temple acquires a very special significance. The duty of restitution owed to the Parthenon is, essentially, the duty of humanity as a whole to global civilisation.

GWT: When, some years ago, I interviewed your predecessor Melina Mercouri on the same subject in this self-same city, she gave me this emotional reply: "We want our soul back!" Do you see the issue in the same light?

G.Voulgarkis: The struggles of Melina Mercouri for the return of the Parthenon sculptures are well-known. Blessed with sensitivity, temperament and dynamism she sounded the alarm world-wide on this major issue. The claim for the return of the sculptures is grounded on reason; it is certainly not the product of any nation-centred obstreperousness. This is what Melina meant when she said "we want our soul back". We want the Parthenon sculptures back so that a breached cultural order, of concern to everybody and not just to Greeks, can be restored.

GWT: What, in your opinion, is the feeling of the Greek people on this issue?

G.Voulgarkis: Greeks consider this a claim of the utmost priority and not because of any ancestor-worship attitude or any retrospective nationalistic reflexes. What they perceive - as Greeks - is that a moral code is being breached by continuing to deprive the temple of its sculptures. Greeks feel obliged to do their utmost to become able to gift the restored temple to the world.

GWT: Do you personally believe that the British Museum will return the so-called 'Elgin Marbles' to Greece?

G.Voulgarkis: These are the Parthenon sculptures, no less, and I am totally convinced that they will be returned, sooner or later. Firmness and perseverance are needed on our part and we will not falter until success crowns our efforts.

GWT: In your opinion, how can Greece's claim for the return of the sculptures be grounded in international law?

G.Voulgarkis: To begin with, I do not wish to assimilate the Parthenon sculptures to any other collections of antiques. This does mean we do not value the artefacts belonging to other collections, Greek of foreign. It only means that the Parthenon sculptures have an altogether special importance. The claim for their return is self-explanatory, ecumenical, and transcends any legal framework.

GWT: What do you think of Britain's position on this issue? What is your opinion on the stance of the British Museum?

G.Voulgarkis: The British public has been sensitised to the issue of the return of the sculptures. British public opinion is increasingly in favour of their repatriation. Recently, on 1st February 2006 the Labour MP Mr Andrew Dismore tabled a motion in the House of Commons for the return of the sculptures that has, by now, been signed by 31 of his colleagues. The signatories declare that they look forward to the day when people from all over the world will be able to see all the salvaged parts of the Parthenon reunified in their proper historical and geographical setting, in the New Acropolis Museum. I hope that the British Museum will not object once adequate space for their display will have become available. In a year's time the New Acropolis Museum will be open for business with its specially designed show-cases that will remain empty, ready to house the sculptures when these are returned from Britain.

GWT: In Britain there is an influential movement of support for your claim to see the sculptures returned. Do you think this will be of help?

G.Voulgarkis: If I am not mistaken, we are talking about a percentage of 65%, perhaps more. Of course this will help; it may even prove decisive. The wish of the citizenry is the rule for all forms of democratic governance and informs all the decisions that Governments take. I would like to add that on 25th March this year, the International Federation for the Reunification of the Parthenon sculptures, recommended, obtained and announced the will of the citizens of 12 countries (Australia, Belgium, Britain, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Montenegro and the US) in favour of the repatriation of the missing members of the Parthenon. The Federation will not desist until such time as the sculptures return to where they belong, that is to Athens.

GWT: Where would you house the Parthenon sculptures if they were returned to Greece?

G.Voulgarkis: In the Parthenon Hall within the New Acropolis Museum. As I said before, the show-cases specially designed for them will remain empty until the return of the sculptures. For each part of the sculptures that is in Britain, a special place will be reserved. We see this project as a kind of invitation to British scholars to participate in the programme of restitution of the sculptures to the Parthenon to which they belong.

Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis has neither the international popularity nor the charismatic nature of his former colleague Mercouri. But he does have the necessary political determination accomplish what Mercouri was only dreaming of. He has the support of the President of State, the Prime Minister and ministerial colleagues.

"The sculptures of the Acropolis and the Parthenon are the property of the people that created them."

The friezes and sculptures are not to be returned to the Acropolis itself. The aggressive air pollution would destroy them completely. For decades the British argued that Athens had no suitable museum, no building suitable for conservation of these figures where they could be exhibited.

The new Acropolis Museum has been in the planning stage for just about the same length of time. Now after many delays it is nearly complete. It is to be opened this year, probably in the autumn. It has plenty of space, the Acropolis can be seen from it, it has the most modern museum technology available, and it will present the many exhibits connected with the Acropolis.

The unique ensemble of the Parthenon can only be appreciated as a whole. Now that all the technical and conservatory prerequisites have been set up, it should be brought back together again. And not least to rid the logo of the UNESCO, that is showing the outline of the front of the Parthenon, of the criticism of inaccuracy.

Thousands of students and school children protested in January 2007 for the return of the missing parts of the Parthenon to Athens.

It remains to been seen if the British Museum will give way to the moral pressure created by the new Acropolis Museum. Anthony Snodgrass, President of 'The Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles' in Great Britain which cooperates with related organisations told me in a TV interview in the spring of 2006:

The Director of the British Museum, Neil McGregor, said in a newspaper interview: "The only question is in which museum the Marbles can be exhibited in the best way?! I agree with him. That is really the only important question. That is what he said in 2003. Today this question can be answered unequivocally. It is quite clear. That is why McGregor and the British Museum do not want to be reminded of what they said then. - But I have it in writing."

The committee has at least achieved (or contributed to this achievement) that most of the British public are today in favour of the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece. The official opening of the new museum in Athens will further increase the moral pressure. A demonstration of hundreds of Greek school children that took place in January 2007 found sympathy all over the world. With a symbolic 'hug' they called for the return of the Parthenon sculptures. Unfortunately this action still did not melt the hearts of the British keepers of the Greek treasures.

It is certainly not possible to establish a legal claim to the Marbles and this would be irrelevant in this case. It is not a legal case, it is a question of political morals where two great cultural natures stand against each other. Two hundred years ago, the Greeks were not asked when the British took large sections of their national heritage out of the country with them. That is why their moral claim to a central part of their cultural heritage should be heard at last.

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