The Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni, responding to questions from journalists, regarding yesterday’s fashion show organized at the British Museum, stated that no fashion show has ever taken place at the archaeological site of the Acropolis.

In particular, the Minister of Culture stated that “there was never any fashion show at the archaeological site of the Acropolis. When, in 2020, something like this was requested by Dior, the request was not accepted by the Ministry of Culture. After collaborations and negotiations, the show was organized, in 2021, in Kallimarmaro”.

She clarified that “the Ministry of Culture allowed only the photography of the models in the archaeological site of the Acropolis, following the model of the corresponding photography of the same house, which had taken place in 1951. It should be noted that the Dior collection was inspired by Greek antiquity, while Greek laboratories provided raw materials and collaborated with the French company. The photo shoot took place while the Acropolis was closed, with a limited number of models, without any audience and only with the presence of the security staff and the archaeologists in charge”.

“Yesterday’s fashion show at the British Museum took place in the limited space of the Duveen Gallery, in the presence of dozens of guests. The Sculptures were used as simple decorative elements, without any dialectical relationship between the collection and Greek antiquity, without any relationship with the values ​​that the Phidian works transmit and symbolize. The Sculptures were used as a backdrop, which belittles their universal value, which the British Museum displays by adopting for itself the characterization of the universal museum. Let’s remember that there are cases where the Sculptures in the Duveen Gallery were damaged, due to overcrowding and carelessness of the visitors” added Ms. Mendoni.

The Minister of Culture, continuing, emphasized that “as I have argued many times, we are not against organizing parades in archaeological sites, monuments and museums. Fashion is included in the contemporary cultural and creative industries and can be consistent with these spaces. However, where and how these events take place is of greater importance. In the British Museum, the masterpieces of Pheidias formed the decor for the fashion show. In this way they are belittled and belittled”.