The Parthenon Sculptures: the position of the Trustees of the
British Museum
The British Museum exists to tell the story of cultural
achievement throughout the world, from the dawn of human history
over two million years ago until the present day. The Museum is a
unique resource for the world: the breadth and depth of its
collection allows a world public to re-examine cultural identities
and explore the complex network of interconnected human
cultures.
Within the context of this unparalleled collection, the
Parthenon sculptures are an important representation of ancient
Athenian civilisation. Each year millions of visitors, free of
charge, admire the artistry of the sculptures and gain insights on
how ancient Greece influenced- and was influenced by- the other
civilisations that it encountered.
The Trustees of the British Museum warmly welcome the opening of
the New Acropolis Museum which will allow the Parthenon sculptures
that are in Athens to be appreciated against the backdrop of
ancient Greek and Athenian history. The new museum, however, does
not alter the Trustees’ view that the sculptures are part of
everyone’s shared heritage and transcend cultural boundaries. The
Trustees remain convinced that the current division allows
different and complementary stories to be told about the surviving
sculptures, highlighting their significance for world culture and
affirming the universal legacy of Ancient Greece.
Common misconceptions
It is often incorrectly reported that the British Museum
argues that the sculptures in their collection should remain in
London because there is nowhere to house them in Greece and that
the Greek authorities cannot look after them. Now that the new
museum is opening these arguments are redundant.
Neither of these claims is true, the British Museum does not
argue this. The Trustees argue that the sculptures on display in
London convey huge public benefit as part of the Museum’s worldwide
collection. Our colleagues in Athens are, of course, fully able to
conserve and preserve the material in their care and we enjoy
friendly and constructive relations with them.
All of the sculptures from the Parthenon are in the
British Museum
This is incorrect. Around half of the sculptures from the
Parthenon are now lost, destroyed over the last 2,500 years of the
building’s history. The sculptures that remain are found in museums
in six countries including the Louvre and the Vatican, though
the majority is divided roughly equally between Athens and
London.
The division of the Parthenon sculptures is a unique
case. The sculptures can only be appreciated as a complete
set
This is not so. Europe’s complex history has often resulted in
cultural objects, such as medieval altarpieces from one original
location being divided and distributed through museums in many
countries. Bringing the Parthenon sculptures back together into a
unified whole is impossible- the complicated history of the
Parthenon meant that already by 1800 half of the sculptures had
been destroyed.
The Parthenon sculptures now in the British Museum were
stolen
This is not true. Lord Elgin, the British diplomat that
transported the sculptures to England, acted with the full
knowledge and permission of the legal authorities of the day. Lord
Elgin’s activities were thoroughly investigated by a Parliamentary
Select Committee in 1816 and found to be entirely legal. Following
a vote of Parliament, the British Museum was allocated funds to
acquire the collection.
The sculptures could be reunited on the
Parthenon
This is not possible. Though partially reconstructed, the
Parthenon is a ruin. It is universally recognised that the
sculptures that still exist could never be safely returned to the
building: they are best seen and conserved in museums.
The Greek government has asked for a loan of the
sculptures which has been turned down by the British
Museum
The Trustees have never been asked for a loan of the Parthenon
sculptures, only for the permanent removal of all of the sculptures
to Athens.
The Trustees will consider (subject to the usual considerations
of condition and fitness to travel) any request for any part of the
collection to be borrowed and then returned. The simple
precondition required by the Trustees before they will consider
whether or not to lend an object in the collection is that the
borrowing institution acknowledges the British Museum’s ownership
of the object. The Trustees frequently lend objects from the
collection to museums all around the world, including Greece. In
the last year alone they lent 4,400 objects to hundreds of museums
worldwide.
Successive Greek governments have refused to recognise the
Trustees’ unquestionable legal ownership of the Parthenon
sculptures. This has made any meaningful discussion on the issue
virtually impossible.
The matter could be solved by the British Museum setting
up an outpost in Athens
This is not so. The Trustees of the British Museum believe that
the sculptures need to continue to be seen within the context of
the world collection of the British Museum, in order to deepen our
understanding of their significance within world cultural history.
This provides the ideal complement to the New Acropolis Museum,
where the Parthenon sculptures in Athens will be seen within the
context of ancient Greek and Athenian history. Both museums
together allow the fullest appreciation of the meaning and
importance of the Parthenon sculptures and maximise the number of
people that can appreciate them.