“Secret talks” between Britain and Greece about a deal to return the ancient marble statues are now in their “final phases”, according to Greek online newspaper Ta Nea.
This was reported by several British and international media, incl BBC And AFP.
The original home of the statue is the most famous Greek temple – the Parthenon – located on the Acropolis hill in the Greek capital, Athens.
HOUSE PLACE: The Parthenon statues are part of the facade of the Parthenon on the Acropolis in the Greek capital, Athens. Photo: LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP
Greece has for decades demanded the return of the statue, which, according to the BBC, is the most famous work of art in the ever-debated debate over the obligation of museums to return objects to their country of origin.
Greek statues are part of a length of 160 meters wall decor in the Parthenon, and they were removed from the temple walls themselves and transported to England by British soldier and diplomat Thomas Elgin in the early 1800s. The British Museum is in possession of 75 meters of this frieze.
HOME SOON? Part of the Parthenon sculpture collection at the British Museum. Photo: Matthew Fearn
Shortly thereafter, the British government bought it and placed it in the British Museum in London, namely the British National Museum of Archeology and Ethnography.
The Parthenon was built nearly 2,500 years ago.
The statues that decorated it were made by several sculptors, possibly from original designs by the Greek master sculptor Pheidias who was commissioned to decorate the temple, according to The Great Norwegian Lexicon.
More secret meetings
In Athens, the Parthenon Gallery in the Acropolis Museum was built more than ten years ago to house the statues.
Today’s exhibition consists of the unremoved original and plaster copies of statues currently in the British Museum and other foreign museums.
STOLEN: A centaur, a mythical beast in Greek mythology, tramples lapiths killed in battle. The statue is part of the British collection at the British Museum. Photo: REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
The first secret meeting on the return deal, according to Ta Nea, will take place in November 2021. Then Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet representatives of the British Museum in London.
Then a meeting at the home of the Greek ambassador to Great Britain is said to have taken place.
And now the prime minister of Greece is said to be once again in the British capital, where he met museum chairman George Osborne.
– Considerable progress
Greeks who should be familiar with the matter have told Greek newspapers that the deal is now 90 percent ready, but the critical 10 percent of the deal still has no solution.
– Hard to reach the finish line, but not impossible. Considerable progress has been made.
A spokesperson for the British Museum previously said the museum was looking for “positive and long-term partnerships with countries and communities around the world, and that of course includes Greece”, according to the BBC.
NOT STOLEN: Part of the Parthenon culture left in Greece, now on display in the Acropolis Museum. Photo: AP Photo/Petros Giannacouris
But the main hurdle is that the museum doesn’t want to break up its own collection, “because it tells a unique story about our shared humanity”.
Despite that – support among the British for the statue’s handing over to Greece has increased in recent years. This summer, nearly 2,000 Britons took part in a survey whether or not the statue should be returned. 54 per cent then said yes they should, while only 16 per cent thought they should remain in the UK, according to the BBC.
Earlier this week, London’s Horniman Museum and Gardens transferred back ownership of 72 objects – the so-called Benin bronzes – to Nigeria, something the US also did recently.
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