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.
Chair: James Forsyth
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.
