A new controversy has erupted amid ongoing public debate and negotiations between Greece and the United Kingdom, following a charity dinner hosted last Saturday in the Parthenon Galleries of the British Museum.
The British Museum has repeatedly faced criticism over its handling of exhibits, as well as its refusal to address Greece’s long-standing request for the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles.
The Prime Minister’s wife, Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis, was the first to express her disapproval of the event.
“The British Museum hosted a fundraising dinner in the Duveen Gallery, which houses the Parthenon Sculptures. It is deeply ironic that the museum chooses to base its fundraising campaign around a cultural treasure, amidst ongoing discussions about the reunification of the Parthenon Frieze.
Holding such an event in the Duveen Gallery is not only deeply inappropriate but also profoundly disrespectful,” Mrs. Grabowski wrote in a social media post.
View this post on Instagram
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni also condemned the dinner organized by the British Museum, responding to questions from journalists.
“The Ministry of Culture has repeatedly and consistently condemned dinners, receptions, and fashion shows held in museum spaces where monuments and works of art are exhibited. Such actions are offensive to cultural assets and put the exhibits themselves at risk,” Ms. Mendoni stated.
“This is exactly what the British Museum’s administration did last Saturday — once again using the Parthenon Sculptures as decorative elements for a dinner it hosted.”
She added: “The security, integrity, and moral treatment of monuments should be the British Museum’s primary concern. Instead, the institution once again demonstrates provocative indifference.”
It should be recalled that in February 2024, the Duveen Gallery — in front of the Parthenon Sculptures — hosted a fashion show dedicated to Maria Callas by designer Erdem Moralıoğlu, an event that also drew strong criticism from the Greek Ministry of Culture in Athens.
