A recent text by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Commission on Parthenon Sculptures in late September, expressing the organization’s concern about the status of the Sculptures, called on the two sides to find a mutually acceptable solution, cites extensive reports on the cultural pages of the Zeitung Süddeutsche.
UNESCO is also skeptical of the British government’s attitude towards the Greek demands. conciliation with the Ottoman Empire in Athens, the fine line between rescue and looting, the context of the reception of antiquities. It also has to do with ethical, historical and aesthetic questions surrounding the presentation of works of art in the 21st century. “All this talk has just recently taken on a new dimension.”
Regarding the new approach to the issue of the return of the Sculptures, taking into account the recent problems observed in the British Museum in terms of their maintenance, SZ remarks, among other things: “In view of such structural challenges, it is remarkable that UNESCO fired unprecedented again the conflict over the Parthenon Sculptures, which has been simmering for decades: At the end of September the so-called Intergovernmental Commission for the Promotion of the Return of Cultural Property to their Countries of Origin, took a unanimous decision to issue a recommendation on how to deal with ‘Elgin Marbles’. But this recommendation seems like a requirement. He states that the British should start talks with Greece for the return of the sculptures as soon as possible. The text also refers to the poor condition of the galleries on which the works of art are exhibited – a glaring reference to the damage suffered by water. The United Kingdom government immediately rejected the statement. “
“UNESCO clearly in favor of Greece”
SZ notes that UNESCO is “clearly taking a position in favor of Greece”, which adds a new dimension to the whole debate over the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, reversing one of the key arguments that the British side has long put forward against a possible return: In Greece, Britain claims, there are no possibilities for the proper storage and presentation of such valuable works of art “.
The report also extensively hosts the views of Dimitrios Pantermalis, president of the Acropolis Museum, and Elena Korka, honorary director general of antiquities at the Ministry of Culture. As SZ observes: “Both the director of the Museum, Dimitris Pantermalis, and Elena Korka from the Ministry of Culture are sure that one day the reunion of all the fragments will take place under the roof of the Acropolis Museum. “Korka believes that the mediation proposed by UNESCO will be implemented at some point through an independent mediator and the British side will understand that this is a matter to be resolved not between museums but between governments.”
DW / Dimitra Kyranoudi
.
