‘Greece must recognize UK’s ownership of the Parthenon marbles before loan,’ Frazer says
Greece must formally recognize the UK’s ownership of the Parthenon Marbles before any loan negotiations can proceed, stated Lucy Frazer, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport of the United Kingdom, on Wednesday.
During a meeting of the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee on Wednesday, Frazer expressed her stance on the Parthenon Marbles, emphasizing that “The British Museum Trustees are responsible for the objects, they were legally acquired and we have no intention of changing the law in relation to those issues.”
When asked about her stance on loaning the sculptures, Frazer reiterated the importance of Greek recognition of the ownership of the objects, stating, “I think it’s very important that the Greek government recognizes that those objects are owned and have been legitimately acquired. Objects are loaned from time to time but it is fundamental that our ownership is recognized.”
The statues, dating back to the fifth century BC, have been housed in the British Museum since 1816, when agents working for Scottish nobleman Lord Elgin removed them from the Parthenon Temple on the Athens Acropolis. Approximately half of the 160-meter frieze that adorned the Parthenon is in the British Museum, while 50 meters of the carvings are in the Acropolis Museum.
