I saw the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum a couple of years ago. They were brought back to England in the very early years of the 19th century by Lord Elgin. "Looted" is perhaps not too strong a term, as Greece was under the Ottoman boot at the time and the Turks gave Elgin permission to take the marbles. They are key sculptures from the Parthenon (and other structures in Athens) and have been a bone of contention between the Greek and British governments for probably 150 years.
The Guardian recently had an article on a debate over the return at the Oxford Union (the world's most famous debating society). It seems like sentiment is running about 2-1 for returning the marbles (though those worthies representing the British Museum's point of view withdrew from the debate feeling it was rigged).
Personally, I think I tend toward the idea that the marbles should be returned. Greece is a thoroughly modern country now and given that they can provide an adequate home it would be a good gesture. (Originally one of the reasons cited for taking the marbles to England was that they couldn't be conserved in an environment where people took potshots at them.)
Of course, once the floodgates are open, where does it stop? One would have to return most of the contents of the Louvre and the British museum if country of origin and acquisition by other means than payment/gift were the controlling factor.
As far as the British Museum losing them, why not simply display copies? With our modern technology, it would easily be possible to make copies indistinguishable from the originals.
After all, isn't it the form of sculpture that we appreciate?
Posted by artandscience at May 12, 2004 08:11 AM