After 220 years, the fate of the Parthenon marbles depends on secret talks

When Lord Elgin, a British aristocrat, returned from Greece in the early 19th century, he also sent England some of the greatest treasures of antiquity:

a collection that included statues of Greek gods and carved friezes of centaurs fighting each other, which once decorated

.

Technicians from the Acropolis Museum show a fragment of the Parthenon, returned by Italy in 2022, which had been on display in a museum in Palermo (Sicily) for more than 200 years.

Photo Giorgos Kontarinis/Agence France-Presse - Getty Images

In some cases ripped from the temple walls, apparently with the permission of the Ottomans then ruling Greece, the so-called

were later sold to the British government and became some of the most famous objects in the

But they also became, almost from the day they were withdrawn, the subject of

perhaps the most notorious

Since the time of

, a romantic poet who criticized their removal, the fate of the marbles has been the subject of bitter disputes.

The British claim that the marbles were acquired legally and are best displayed alongside other objects in a universal museum, while the Greeks regard them as

that form one of the foundations of their national heritage.

The debate has only heated up in recent years, as the actions of former empires have come under new scrutiny and restitution battles have come to question the foundations of Western museums.

Pressure for the return of the marbles has mounted as museums have

high-profile pieces such as the

, Italian antiquities and other Parthenon fragments that the

released last month.

There are now hopeful signs that a solution may be in the offing between the British Museum and Greece, as officials on both sides have acknowledged that

The Elgin Marbles, in the British Museum.

/EFE

However, even as these revelations have translated into optimism that real breakthroughs may soon take place, both sides have made it clear that

In fact, they are still far behind on some key issues.

Talks have been taking place in London since November 2021, between the Prime Minister of Greece,

, and

, a former British Chancellor of Finance who now chairs the British Museum.

In the privacy of luxurious hotels and in the home of the Greek ambassador, the parties have tried to reach an agreement on the future of the marbles, according to two people familiar with the negotiations who were granted anonymity to speak of confidential talks.

One of those people knew the Greek position;

the other, that of the British Museum.

In several of those meetings,

, a minister without portfolio in the Greek government, acted as Mitsotakis' representative, according to both people.

There has been much speculation about the progress of the negotiations.

An article published last month in the Greek newspaper

, which broke the news of the talks, claimed that the talks were "90%" complete, citing "well-placed" Greek sources.

Bloomberg reported last week that the parties were "getting closer" to a deal, and other upbeat reports have followed elsewhere.

According to the Bloomberg article, some of the monuments would temporarily return to Athens in exchange for

But a deal is still much further off than those reports suggest, according to the two people with knowledge of the negotiations who spoke to

And indeed, in recent days officials on both sides have spoken out publicly to curb rising expectations that any deal was imminent.

For his part, Mitsotakis has asked the British Museum to return

, some 250 feet of carved stone that once wrapped around the Parthenon, the person with knowledge of the Greek position said.

Mitsotakis wanted a deal for those panels to stay in Greece for at least 20 years, the person added.

There they would join other parts of the frieze already on display at

This person said that Mitsotakis hoped that, after 20 years, the agreement would be extended so that the frieze panels would remain in Athens.

The Greek side hoped to negotiate the return of the rest of the sculptures at a later date, the person familiar with his position added.

In exchange for the frieze, Greek museums would supply the British Museum with a

some of which have never left Greece, the person added.

The British Museum wants different treatment, according to the person familiar with its position.

So far, Osborne has suggested returning a smaller part of the frieze, as well as carvings of gods and centaurs, on short-term loan, the person said.

The museum could offer up to a third of the Parthenon objects in its collection, the person added.

Once Greece returned those items to London, more would be sent to Athens to replace them, the person said.

Over time, the number of items sent to Greece would increase to reflect the

between the two sides, he added.

The British Museum's view is that it cannot offer more, even if it wanted to, said the person with knowledge of his position.

Under British law, the museum cannot remove objects from its collection unless they are "unfit for preservation", although it is free to lend them to other institutions.

The museum argues that Lord Elgin

, after permission was granted by administrators of the Ottoman Empire, which ruled Athens at the time.

He also insists that the sculptures are best presented among the museum's global collections, so that they become part of a larger story about human civilization.

If the agreement with the Greek government did not include a clause requiring the return of the marbles to London, it could be challenged in the British courts.

But any deal would be drafted in a way that would

Greece to give up its claim to ownership of the objects, the person familiar with the museum's position said.

The British Museum declined to comment on the negotiations, but a museum spokesman acknowledged by email that they were ongoing.

"We are actively seeking a new collaboration with our Greek friends on the Parthenon and, as we enter a new year, we are holding constructive talks," the spokesman said.

With an informal offer and a counter-offer on the table, the talks have reached a stage that "has not been seen before," the person from the Greek side said.

Both sides were "negotiating in good faith," the person added, but did not expect further progress until after Greece held parliamentary elections later this year.

Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on the British Museum.

Last year, Italy returned a fragment of the Parthenon that had been on display for more than 200 years in a museum in Sicily.

And in December, the Vatican announced it would hand over three Parthenon fragments to the head of the

, who is expected to hand them over to the Acropolis Museum.

Other big Western collections, such as the

and the

in Berlin, have recently returned much-discussed artwork, and the British Museum looks increasingly out of place.

In addition to the Parthenon objects, it has a large collection of Benin bronzes, claimed by Nigeria;

, which some archaeologists want returned to Egypt;

and a statue from Easter Island that has been requested

, the indigenous people of the island.

This year the British Museum is due to announce a major renovation that includes improvements to the roof and heating system, which could force some galleries to close for long periods.

The project is expected to cost 1 billion pounds (about $1.2 billion), according to a report in

Leslie Ramos, founding director of Arteater, an agency that advises museums on fundraising, said in an interview that potential donors for the renovation "might want to get a concrete idea" of what the British Museum is doing with the objects. of the Parthenon before deciding to contribute.

For the museum, entering into negotiations over the disputed objects "would be a way to attract a

," he added.

Aside from the divergent offers from both sides, there is another major stumbling block:

whether British and Greek lawmakers would agree to a deal.

The British government stated last year that

change the law and allow full restitution of the marbles.

On Wednesday, Michelle Donelan, Britain's Culture Secretary, told the BBC that the return of the objects would open a "Pandora's box" and could lead to lawsuits over other museum pieces.

"Returning them is a

," Donelan stated.

It was also not clear whether Greece would accept an "association" if it meant that the marbles belong to the British Museum.

Sia Anagnostopoulou, a Greek lawmaker from the opposition Syriza party and the party's culture spokesperson, said in an email that she was opposed to any deal that did not make it clear that the marbles are the legitimate property of Greece, and that a loan would be unacceptable.

"It is a matter of dignity for all Greeks," he said, "as it would be for the British people, if they were temporarily 'borrowed' pieces stolen from Stonehenge."

Legal experts and museum administrators from around the world are closely monitoring the situation.

"If some sort of settlement were to be reached, it would be a great symbol for others seeking restitution," says Alexander Herman, director of London's Institute of Art and Law.

Max Hollein

, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, stated by telephone that "the whole question of the Elgin Marbles is such a long and complex story" that any solution "would be a great step for institutions and for cultural dialogue in the world".

The Met has recently reached an agreement with Greece so that the New York museum can exhibit a collection of Cycladic antiquities assembled by philanthropist

, while acknowledging that the objects ultimately belong to the Greek state.

Under the agreement, the items will travel between the United States and Greece.

Hollein said the Greek government is open to negotiating innovative solutions to regain ownership of the country's cultural heritage, while allowing the objects to be exhibited abroad.

Recently, at the British Museum, the gallery where the marbles are exhibited was full of tourists, many of whom took selfies in front of the statues and frieze.

Dilan Polat, a 20-year-old art student who was drawing the muscular torso of a centaur for one of the panels, said she felt "very lucky to be able to draw real Greek sculptures."

But he added that they should return "to their rightful place" in Greece.

John Lancaster, a 59-year-old bus driver, said the marbles should go back to Greece as they are part of that country's history.

"It's like the crown jewels," Lancaster added.

"If someone took them, you'd want them back, right?"

Last year, a poll by the YouGov polling agency found that

believed the sculptures belonged to Greece.

But public opinion is unlikely to be the deciding factor in the negotiations.

Herman, a legal expert, says that every few years "there is what seems to be a glimmer of hope" in the debate over the Parthenon sculptures, but then the process stalls.

The same could happen now, he said.

But he added that Mitsotakis and Osborne are "practically minded" businessmen used to making deals.

"If there are two people who can sit in a room and figure it out," Herman said, "it's probably going to be people like the two of them."

c.2023 The New York Times Company

look also

Replicas made by a robot to recreate the Parthenon marbles

UK refuses to return Parthenon marbles claimed by Greece