A fashion show in front of the friezes of the Parthenon in Athens at the British Museum on Saturday as part of London Fashion Week drew the ire of Greek authorities, who have been demanding the return of the famous marbles for years.
Designer Erdem Moralioglu chose the impressive setting of the exhibition hall of these prestigious ancient works at the British Museum to present the fall-winter 2024 collection of his eponymous brand Erdem, inspired by the Greek singer Maria Callas and her interpretation of the 1953 opera Médée was inspired.
“By organizing a fashion show in the exhibition hall where the Parthenon friezes are exhibited, the British Museum is once again showing that it has no respect for the masterpieces of the sculptor Phidias,” responded Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni in a press release on Saturday evening.
“Those responsible for the British Museum devalue and insult not only the monument, but also the universal values it represents.” Conditions for displaying sculptures in the Duveen Gallery are deteriorating day by day. “It is time for this stolen and mistreated masterpiece to shine again in the light of Attica,” she added.
Greece has been demanding for decades the return of this 75-meter-long frieze, which was replaced by the Parthenon and is one of the centerpieces of the British Museum.
London claims the sculptures were “legally acquired” in 1802 by British diplomat Lord Elgin, who sold them to the British Museum. Greece claims they were victims of “looting” while the country was under Ottoman rule.
In November 2023, a bilateral meeting planned in London between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis was canceled by the British leader after the Greek leader made a statement to the BBC.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, an ardent supporter of returning the famous marbles to Athens, estimated that keeping part of the Parthenon friezes outside Greece would be akin to “cutting up the Mona Lisa.”
According to a recent YouGov poll, 53% of Brits are in favor of their refund.
At the top of the Acropolis is the Parthenon, a temple from the 5th century BC. BC and dedicated to the goddess Athena. The new Acropolis Museum, inaugurated in 2009, has reserved a site to house the Parthenon friezes.