Greece outraged by British Museum’s Elgin Marbles trend present

The British Museum confirmed ‘zero respect’ by internet hosting a London Fashion week present in entrance of the Elgin Marbles, Greece‘s tradition minister has mentioned.

Models posed in entrance of the traditional artefacts as they debuted items from designer Erdem Moralioglu’s Autumn/Winter 2024 assortment within the Duveen Gallery on the London-based museum on Saturday.

The controversial trend present, attended by actress Lily James and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, left Greek Minister of Culture Linda Mendoni outraged.

Dr Mendoni, who has campaigned for the artefacts to be returned to Athens, expressed her anger late on Saturday and accused museum bosses of ‘trivialising’ and ‘insulting’ the worth of the marbles.

The sculptures had been taken from the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis in Greece within the early nineteenth century by British diplomat Thomas Bruce, the earl of Elgin. 

The trend present marks the newest controversy within the row between the Greek and UK governments over the possession of the Elgin Marbles.

Actress Lily James poses in entrance of the Parthenon Marbles, also referred to as the Elgin Marbles, on the British Museum previous to Erdem Autumn/Winter 2024 assortment trend present on Saturday

Vogue editor-in-chief and Conde Nast Artistic Director Anna Wintour (C) sits in entrance of the Elgin Marbles on the trend present on Saturday

Mr Moralioglu selected the spectacular setting of the Athens Parthenon sculptures showroom on the British Museum to current the autumn winter 2024 assortment of his eponymous model Erdem, impressed by Greek singer Maria Callas and her interpretation of the opera Medea in 1953.

But Dr Mendoni argued that the present proves that the museum has ‘zero respect’ for the artefacts and they need to be returned to Greece.

‘By organising a trend present within the halls the place the Parthenon Sculptures are exhibited, the British Museum, as soon as once more, proves its zero respect for the masterpieces of Pheidias,’ she mentioned in a press release.

‘The administrators of the British Museum trivialise and insult not solely the monument but additionally the common values that it transmits.’

Dr Mendoni added: ‘The circumstances of show and storage of the sculptures, on the Duveen Gallery, are continually deteriorating. It is time for the stolen and abused sculptural masterpieces to shine within the Attic mild.’

Sources near the museum reportedly hit again, noting to the Telegraph how Dior had a photograph shoot on the Acropolis in 2021. 

Dr Mendoni was allegedly concerned with the permissions for the shoot, which was accompanied by a present at Panathenaic Stadium.

Lily James poses in entrance of the Elgin Marbles on the British Museum previous to Erdem Autumn/Winter 2024 assortment trend present throughout London Fashion Week

Greek Minister of Culture Linda Mendoni (not pictured) was outraged by the present, alleging it demonstrated that the British Museum has ‘zero respect’ for the traditional sculptures

Dior paid round €700,000 for permits to conduct the shoot and €200,000 for misplaced earnings for closing the positioning early, in line with the newspaper. 

The tradition minister, nevertheless, mentioned there was ‘no trend present’ on the Acropolis as a result of the request to carry one was denied by the ministry. She mentioned the present was as an alternative held at Panathenaic Stadium after ‘negotiation’.

She additionally famous that the Acropolis shoot featured a group ‘impressed by historic Greece’ that was made collaboration with native artists.

She argued that the Elgin Marbles had been used within the Erdem present had been ‘merely ornament’ and that the ‘assortment had no dialectical connection to Greek antiquity’.

‘The Parthenon Sculptures had been used solely as backdrop and therefore their common worth, which the British Museum claims to be so involved about, was totally minimised,’ Dr Mendoni added.

MailOnline has approached the British Museum for remark. 

Athens maintains the marbles, that are a significant draw for guests at London’s British Museum, had been stolen, whereas the UK claims they had been obtained legally.

The 1963 British Museum Act prohibits the removing of objects from the establishment’s assortment.

The sculptures (pictured) had been taken from the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis in Greece within the early nineteenth century by British diplomat Thomas Bruce, the earl of Elgin 

Athens maintains the marbles, that are a significant draw for guests at London’s British Museum, had been stolen, whereas the UK claims they had been obtained legally 

But officers on the museum, which is below stress to repatriate different international antiquities, haven’t dominated out a doable mortgage deal.

Late November, a diplomatic spat raised eyebrows when Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his ‘displeasure’ over UK counterpart Rishi Sunak‘s final minute cancellation of a bilateral assembly set to debate their long-running dispute over the Parthenon Marbles. 

At subject for London was the Greek chief’s feedback in a BBC interview a day earlier than the assembly about possession of the two,500-year-old marbles.

Sunak was allegedly offended about Mitsotakis’s feedback that having among the marbles in London and others in Athens was like slicing the Mona Lisa in half.