Our Privacy Statement & Cookie Policy

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.

I agree

Greece angry over London Fashion Week show at British Museum

CGTN

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour (dark glasses) sits in front of the Parthenon Marbles at the British Museum prior to the Erdem fashion show. /Henry Nicholls/AFP
Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour (dark glasses) sits in front of the Parthenon Marbles at the British Museum prior to the Erdem fashion show. /Henry Nicholls/AFP

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour (dark glasses) sits in front of the Parthenon Marbles at the British Museum prior to the Erdem fashion show. /Henry Nicholls/AFP

Greek Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni expressed her anger after a London Fashion Week show took place in front of the Parthenon Marbles at the British Museum. 

Designer Erdem Moralioglu chose the impressive setting of the Athens Parthenon sculptures showroom at the British Museum to present the autumn winter 2024 collection of his eponymous brand Erdem, inspired by Greek singer Maria Callas and her interpretation of the opera Medea in 1953.

"By organizing a fashion show in the halls where the Parthenon Sculptures are exhibited, the British Museum, once again, proves its zero respect for the masterpieces of Pheidias," Mendoni said in a statement. 

"The directors of the British Museum trivialize and insult not only the monument but also the universal values that it transmits. The conditions of display and storage of the sculptures, at the Duveen Gallery, are constantly deteriorating. It is time for the stolen and abused sculptural masterpieces to shine in the Attic light," she added. 

READ MORE

London museum agrees to return Benin Bronzes

Why Belgian museum could return artifacts to Congo

'Question of justice' as France, Germany consider returning artifacts

The sculptures were taken from the Parthenon temple at the Acropolis in Greece in the early 19th century by British diplomat Thomas Bruce, the earl of Elgin. Athens maintains the marbles, which are a major draw for visitors at London's British Museum, were stolen, while the UK claims they were obtained legally.

The 1963 British Museum Act prohibits the removal of objects from the institution's collection.  But officials at the museum, which is under pressure to repatriate other foreign antiquities, have not ruled out a possible loan deal.

Late November, a diplomatic spat raised eyebrows when Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his "displeasure" over UK counterpart Rishi Sunak's last minute cancellation of a bilateral meeting set to discuss their long-running dispute over the Parthenon Marbles.

At issue for London was the Greek leader's comments in a BBC interview a day before the meeting about ownership of the 2,500-year-old marbles.

Sunak was allegedly angry about Mitsotakis's comments that having some of the marbles in London and others in Athens was like cutting the Mona Lisa in half.

Greece angry over London Fashion Week show at British Museum

Subscribe to Storyboard: A weekly newsletter bringing you the best of CGTN every Friday

Source(s): AFP
Search Trends