Who Owns Art? Who Owns Democracy?
After years of announcements and embarrassing delays, the New Acropolis Museum -- a $190 million spectacular building designed by Bernard Tschumi -- will finally have its official opening on June 20. Yet the dramatic glass gallery on the top floor overlooking the Acropolis and facing the Parthenon will remain empty.
Built specifically as a catalyst for the return of the Elgin Marbles or Parthenon Sculptures, those controversial treasures that were -- depending upon your point of view -- either rescued or stolen by Lord Elgin during the Napoleonic Wars, the gallery is a physical embodiment of the passionate argument that the Greek government and its many allies in the archeological, artistic, and legal circles have waged for two hundred years.
While it's easy to side with the Greeks and decry the British as post-imperial pigs, it's important to examine the complexity of the issue. In my novel, Stealing Athena, I chronicle the journey of these sculptures from their inception in the Age of Perikles through their placement 2300 years later in the British Museum. Being intimately acquainted with the story and having taken up residency recently in London -- and with apologies to all my Greek friends and readers -- I have had a difficult time deciding which argument to support.
In the early 1800s when Napoleon was pillaging the treasures of Italy and Egypt for the Louvre, Elgin, British ambassador to Constantinople, appealed -- through his wife's notorious female allure -- to the Ottoman Sultan, occupier of Athens, to remove about half of the Parthenon's
sculptural decorations. Yes, Elgin was acting with the arrogance of empire and trying to beat Napoleon at his own game, but he and his wife were also deeply disturbed at the horrific condition of the Parthenon. The Turkish occupiers were grinding up its priceless columns and statues to construct rude huts, as well as selling chunks of the building to tourists and collectors eager to own a piece of it. The Elgins believed that if they did not act quickly, the Parthenon's remaining sculptural wonders would soon be gone.
With permission in the form of a still-controversial firman, Elgin used his wife's money to remove the marbles and transport them back to England. After a series of disasters, including retrieving them from the bottom of the sea after a shipwreck, and following an exhaustive Parliamentary investigation to determine if Elgin had acted outside of the law, he sold the collection to the government.
In my opinion, the English have been excellent stewards of the marbles. The British Museum is free of charge and open every single day. Anyone who has tried to conduct research in or tour the museums of Athens, with their many strikes and irregular hours, will appreciate this predictability and functionality. The British have also argued that Greece was a notoriously unstable place; therefore, returning the marbles would put them in possible danger.
In recent years, as millions of tourists have poured into Athens, and Greece entered the European Union, this argument has seemed ridiculous. However, last December, riots broke out across Athens after police shot a teenager. The violence, which shut down parts of the city, went on for two weeks and was at times completely out of control, and tourists canceled their visits to Athens in droves.
By contrast, in London this spring when violence broke out between G20 Summit rioters and police, though one protestor died, the violence was rapidly contained, and life in the city went on.
The British are also concerned that returning the marbles will open a world-wide Pandora's box of demands upon museums worldwide to send back all artifacts to their countries of origin. As Americans, we must especially ask if we would welcome this. How would we feel if,
say, the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art were reduced to -- what? Some Navajo blankets and a few Edward Hopper paintings?
And yet, one must keep in mind the singular meaning and relevancy of the Parthenon Sculptures to the Greek people. Perikles convinced the Athenians to fund construction of the Parthenon to commemorate Athens' victory over the Persian invaders at the Battle of Marathon. The Athenians believed that despite being hugely outnumbered, they lost a mere 192 soldiers to the Persian casualties of 6400 because Athena fought on their side. Had Athens lost that battle in 490 B.C., the entire story of Western civilization might have taken a different turn. Democracy, then in its infancy, may have been crushed once and for all and remembered as an historical footnote similar to other failed utopian experiments.
In his famous Funeral Oration, Perikles laid out the tenants of democratic thinking and culture, stating that the Athenians did not need a Homer to tell their story; rather, "these imperishable
monuments" would speak for the greatness of their civilization, culture, and way of life.
In deciding the case of the Parthenon Sculptures we must ask not only the question of who owns art, but who owns democracy and freedom? It might be argued that the British have carried on these traditions through time with more efficacy and dedication than the Greeks.
On the other hand, the British people -- as opposed to the British Museum -- seem determined to see justice for the Greeks. A recent opinion poll revealed that out of 99,340 people polled, a massive 91,822 voted in favor of returning the marbles. Last year, Cambridge University hosted a debate on the issue, and the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures won with overwhelming numbers.
If the marbles are returned to Greece -- and it seems to me that eventually, this will happen -- it should not be done on the basis of returning "colonial booty," as Elgin's present-day detractors have labeled it. Nor should the return open the doors of museums worldwide and empty the galleries of non-native art. These sculptures are a unique and special case, symbols to the world of the greatness that may rise out of a society that values both art and freedom. The return should happen simply because it would be thrilling to see a now-divided architectural wonder made whole again.
Follow Karen Essex on Twitter: www.twitter.com/KarenEssex
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Obviously the Elgins are not solely responsible for 'saving' bits of the Parthanon or the frieze upon it, because large portions of it are still in Greece. I recently went to the British Museum and saw the Marbles as well as the Rosetta Stone. It was great to see them, but... I have to be honest, if Greece wants them back, I feel that they should be returned to the country of origin. Just because the British Museum has 'been a good steward' or allowed lots of tourists ( like me) to see them, does NOT mean they have a right to keep them if the Greeks have asked for them back. Do other countries get to poke around the US, looking at our works of art and saying " Wow, you really aren't taking good enough care of these. We can do better, so we should take these things to OUR museum instead" of course not- but that was and is the basic justification used by the BM and the Elgins themselves. Every country in the world has its own treasures. Unless they have been legally bought and paid for fairly and sent to another country completely above-board ( which is very debatable in this case) they should stay in their country of origin.
This is just silly. You see a "special significance" between this particular art and the Greeks because it particularly interests you. Other peoples who want their art back from foreign lands often feel about it similarly to the way the Greeks feel here. You distinction between this case, and others, is not valid
Whether to return them or not is a subject for the British. But returning the marbles would would indeed put a stamp of approval on the efforts to return similar art around the world.
Thankfully, we generally have enough attitude in this country(call it arrogance, if you like) to mostly ignore these kinds of sentiments.
If one supports the return of the Elgin Marbles, then you should also support the return of every artifact held in museums around the world that are not native to the countries that currently hold them.
Of course, when they are returned, you better hope that extremists don't take over those governments, otherwise you'll be seeing more vandalism like we saw with the Buddhist statues in Afghanistan when said extremists destroy artitfacts that they consider to be "culturally impure"
No, the precedent should not be set.
The Elgin Marbles should remain in the United Kingdom.
If you want a comparison - try the fate of Pablo Picasso's "Guernica" - it was kept in the United States until Franco died and democracy returned to Spain - then it was returned to the Spanish people where it belonged. The museum in Athens should have a nice plaque about Elgin's contribution in saving the marbles but the Marbles are not Lord Elgin's - they are part of the Parthenon and as such part of Greek cultural history - while the world may claim part of that heritage - they rightfully belong to the people of Greece who have shown that they have the means and the venue to display them where they belong. Besides, Elgin didn't get them from their rightful owners, he bought them from some Turkish local ruler and wound up selling them to the British Museum. Museums all over the world know that if they acquire something from other than the rightful owner, common decency requires that the stolen item be returned to the true owner. The passage of time can not be used as an argument for continued illegal possession - I have an overdue library book in my apartment but the book still belongs to the library.
Who owns art, or who owns a specific piece of art? Who owns democracy, or who owns a specific democracy or political system?
How would we like to see the Liberty Bell in the 22nd century sitting in a carefully tended museum in one of the BRICs, say Brazil or China?
sometimes such ideas are abused, like the american indians taking the body unearthed that was 4000ish years old so research wouldn't learn more about its caucasian origins?
there will never be a solution to all of history's booty returning. where would etruscan artifacts go? rome destroyed that civilization. where would roman alexandria go? rome or egypt? and would museums want to give up a star of the collection and its money it brings in?
it looks like athens was trying to prove its ability to house the marbles with this new building. did they lose the gamble?
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Greece absolutely is trying to prove its ability to house the marbles (and to house all the antiquities that were crammed and packed into the old museum). I did try to make the point that the museum is the physical embodiment of their argument. And it's the best argument they could have made. I do believe that like some silent but powerful god waiting for the mere mortals to see the light, the empty gallery staring out at the Parthenon will one day draw to it its treasures.
Why does Greece have to prove anything?? It was theft, straight and simple.
Return the stolen goods to the rightful owners. Period!
This is an interesting situation for so many reasons and instead of conflict being generated, which will please press and idealogues everywhere as they sell their souls and grind their axes, I wish the art and antiquities people of the world would step away and come up with a solution that draws attention to not just the Elgin Marbles but to the looted legacy of our past everywhere.
My suggestion would be to embrace the sorry state of the antiquities market and foster the developement of a living form of it, by recreating the masterpieces that have been lost as an ongoing cultural, art, craft and educational program. Finding the talent and drive to restore and refurbish and re-ignite the passion that drove humans to create monuments to our aspirations.
If I could go to Athens and see not just a nice museum (I'm not all that impressed with its aesthetics but that's irrelevant) but could watch the workmen, artisans and designers accomplishing the restoration and perfecting the reproduction of not only the Elgin Marbles or the frieze but of work from around the world. If I could go to the British Museum and see the same and more. If I can away with a better understanding and a will to continue and to advance art for the antiquities of the future.
See Karen Essex's Profile
This is a very creative idea, and one that present technology should be able to provide in ways that were impossible in the past. Elgin's original intention was to have his team of artists make copies of the statues and architectural elements on the Acropolis and take them back to England to improve the state of British arts. His ego, in confluence with the politics of the time, and the fact that he knew that Napoleon, too, had his eyes on the sculptures, led him to actually remove them. Perhaps the British Museum could fulfill Elgin's intent and make copies and send the originals back.
Consider the project Rome Reborn 1.0, the virtual reality, highly detailed and nuanced reconstruction of Rome in 320 A.D. that gives a tour of all aspects of life at that time. I would love to see the same available to us centered around the Age of Perikles and his ambitious Acropolis project.
Karen Essex's work as a researcher and writer are impeccable. Regardless of where your opinion sides on the return of these treasures, her book which brings life to the story and its characters is to be lauded.
certainly we should be thankful that elgin retrieved the pieces and prevented them from being destroyed by the turks. but that was then, and this is now, and the greek people should have such historical treasures returned to them
Would someone please steal that eyesore on Mt. Rushmore?
If I buy your argument that the Brits were good stewards then they should return all of them now.
One can put a spin on their actions not only there but all around the world but it was pure-and-simple colonialism. If it wasn't artwork it was the resources that the British stole while giving in return arrogance and Social Darwinism.
It should open a floodgate with all national treasures being returned to their places of origin.
As much as we have enjoyed the British Museum that would be our lose as well. But in the end it is the right thing to do.
It is simple if you take what is not yours without permission that is stealing and inspite of his maybe noble motives the marble belongs to Greece why is that so hard to understand?
Elgin had permission in the form of a firman. We can't judge those days by present day's standards. At that time, Elgin probably thought he was doing everythnig properly.
The civilized action to take at this point would be to return them to their country of origin
Return the marbles to their rightful society!
I refuse to take a trip to England until they return the marbles.
Elgin took advantage of the situation for his own booty by making deals with the Turks where the Greeks were under occupation thus according to the Greeks the Turks were not the recognized authority thus should nullify the arrangement.
Now that this museum is open, it will show the true arrogance of the British. If they do not have the decency to return them, in the cultural world, they will be ridiculed.
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