British culture minister Michelle Donelan has ruled out returning the Parthenon sculptures, the Elgin Marbles, to Greece anytime soon. In an interview with BBC Radio 4, she said the sculptures from the Temple of Athena on the Athenian Acropolis, which the British ambassador Lord Elgin had shipped from Athens to London between 1801 and 1812, belonged “in the United Kingdom”. There they have been kept in the British Museum since 1816.
According to Greek and British media reports, the museum’s chairman of the board of trustees, George Osborne, was on the verge of reaching an agreement with Greece on the restitution. Culture Minister Donelan said a “permanent return” was not Osborne’s intention.
Donelan said she had “several conversations” with George Osborne. His opinion on the Parthenon sculptures has been “misinterpreted and certainly misrepresented”. He is by no means on the verge of sending the works back. Even a permanent loan is not a solution. The culture minister found that returning the museum would be “a dangerous step,” as it would “call into question the content of all our museums.”
Greece has been pushing for a restitution of the Parthenon sculptures for decades. Recently, however, the Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis had also pointed out that the only acceptable solution for him was for the sculptures to be recognized as looted art and for them to be permanently returned to Athens.