British culture minister Michelle Donelan stressed in a lengthy interview on the BBC that there are no plans to return the Parthenon sculptures. They belong in the United Kingdom, where – according to the minister – they have been cared for for a long time and access to them has been made possible.
The Greek Ministry of Culture is demanding the return of the sculptures
The ancient artwork is part of a frieze that originally adorned the Parthenon Temple in Athens. The British diplomat Lord Elgin removed them in the 19th century. In 1816 the British government bought it and placed it in the British Museum. The Greek Ministry of Culture, on the other hand, does not want to recognize the possession and ownership of the British Museum.
In December last year, some newspapers reported that the sculptures could be returned. The occasion was talks by high-ranking Greek officials with George Osborne, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the British Museum. The Greek newspaper Ta Nea even said that the negotiations were already at an “advanced stage”.
A return to Greece is not planned
But now Donelan stressed that the museum does not want to return the artworks to Greece. Such a return – according to the minister’s concern – would call into question the entire contents of the museum and could have unforeseeable consequences for further restitution claims.
Currently, the British Museum is also barred by law from permanently returning the artworks to Greece. A change in the legal situation is not foreseeable. However, there was speculation that the sculptures might go to Athens on loan in return for special ancient objects that have never been shown outside of Greece.
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