The 2012 London Olympic athletes and spectators will have
the opportunity to see the most prominent art of the ancient civilization for
which the games originated. But
will the British Museum continue to boast this collection for future
generations of visitors? The
ongoing debate about where the Acropolis pediment sculptures belong is
attracting activist attention, once again. In 2009, a year after I took this photo of the Acropolis
from Athens’s modern Olympic Stadium, the Greeks built a New Acropolis
Museum. This ambitious project was
designed to prepare a secure space for the pediment sculptures (also known as
the Elgin Marbles.) Despite the new
museum and popular opinion that the British Museum should return the art to the
Greeks, the marbles remain in London.
The issue is more complex than simply a question of ownership. It would be nice for the work to be returned to Greece. However, the British Museum has been
maintaining the marbles for a very long time and transporting them would be dangerous. This is an ethical debate where it may
seem easy to side with the Greek cause. But the works are foundational in the history of Western culture,
and it would be devastating if they were damaged during a risky move.
Recent BBC article on the Elgin Marbles issue-
New Acropolis Museum Opening Video-
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