George Osborne, the chairman of the British Museum’s (BM) trustees, hosted a glittering dinner for lots of of friends final evening (15 November) in a most stunning and what some may regard as a provocative venue: the gallery the place the Parthenon Marbles are displayed.
This daring transfer means that the museum intends to take a proactive function to resolve the long-running dispute with Greece, which dates again greater than two centuries when Elgin introduced the Marbles to Britain. For the previous 40 years the Greek authorities has formally claimed the sculptures, wanting to finish the show within the Parthenon Museum in Athens.
Osborne, a former chancellor of the exchequer, was frank, talking extra broadly about controversies now dealing with the museum: “Too typically we’ve thought: let’s preserve quiet. If we don’t speak about issues which might be tough, then nobody else will. And course, it hasn’t labored. When there’s controversy due to errors we now have made then we must always personal these errors.”
His speech was delivered straight in entrance of one of many Parthenon frieze panels, through which gods are behaving like people. The messenger god Hermes is having his shoulders lent on by Dionysos, the god of wine and extra.
Osborne went on to precise a hope that “we are able to attain an settlement with Greece”, for no less than among the British Museum’s sculptures “to be seen in Athens”. In return, he needs “different treasures from Greece, some which have by no means left these shores, to be seen right here on the British Museum”.
He mentioned that the BM trustees would “search for a partnership with our Greek buddies that requires nobody to relinquish their claims, asks for no adjustments to legal guidelines which aren’t ours to put in writing, however which finds a sensible, pragmatic and rational approach ahead”.
In apply these feedback counsel that any sculptures going to Athens could be on mortgage, since deaccessioning is prohibited by legislation, below the 1963 British Museum Act. What’s stunning is that Osborne mentioned that the Greeks wouldn’t be required to “relinquish” their declare, since it’s tough to see how the museum might lend to a rustic which has a authorized declare on the objects.
Osborne concluded on the proposed Marbles partnership: “We might properly not succeed. However we predict it’s price attempting.” The concept of an alternate of among the Marbles in return for key Greek antiquities, in a mortgage association, had been advised by Osborne earlier this yr, however not in such a proper speech and with this quantity of element.
It’s attention-grabbing that the BM chairman remains to be urgent for a cope with Greece whereas the museum is headed by an interim director, Mark Jones, following the resignation of Hartwig Fischer in August. It may need been anticipated that Osborne would have waited till the arrival of a brand new everlasting director, most likely subsequent summer time. Nevertheless, the BM’s assortment is owned by the trustees and due to this fact may be thought of their accountability.
One one who was not seen on the dinner was the Greek ambassador. Presumably it might have been too early within the delicate discussions for Dimitris Caramitsos-Tziras to have been publicly seen at such an occasion, though Osborne might properly have had encouraging non-public contacts with him.
Behind Osborne is the Parthenon frieze on the British Museum, London depicting the messenger god Hermes together with his shoulders lent on by Dionysos, the god of wine and extra.
In his deal with, Osborne additionally referred to current revelations {that a} senior curator had stolen round 2,000 BM antiquities over a interval of “a number of many years”. As soon as once more, he was frank, commenting on the accountability of the trustees: “We are able to’t fake it didn’t occur, or it doesn’t matter, or that some years in the past we weren’t warned. It was our obligation to take care of these objects and we failed in that obligation.”
Osborne added: “It’s why we commissioned a far-reaching, impartial overview into what went incorrect and find out how to repair it. It’s why we’ll publish its conclusions within the coming months. And it’s why I’ve apologised for what has occurred.” Encouragingly, the chairman has now given a dedication that he’ll no less than publish the conclusions.
Yesterday it was additionally introduced that the artist Tracey Emin has been appointed a BM trustee, nominated by the Royal Academy of Arts. She takes over from Grayson Perry.
Visitors on the dinner included the director common of the federal government’s safety service MI5, Ken McCallum, who was thanked by Osborne for “conserving us all protected in troubling instances”.
