Elginism (Free subscription) | 07/24/2008
Dimitrios Pantermalis is the president of the Organisation for the Construction of the New Acropolis Museum. He talks here about various aspects of the New Acropolis Museum. Make sure to also watch the videos of his interview available in two parts here & here. From: Global Atlanta New Acropolis Museum to Open in Fall After Monumental Move Phil Bolton - [...]
Elginism (Free subscription) | 07/12/2008
After much speculation & various conflicting reports, it now appears in the New Acropolis Museum, the copies of the British Museum’s Parthenon Sculptures will be displayed with a whiter colour than the authentic sculptures that they sit amongst. There is a certain irony in this of course, harking back to the cleaning controversy of the [...]
Elginism (Free subscription) | 07/12/2008
Following on from the news that Marbles Reunited has opened their campaign office, a press release gives more details on Thomas Dowson who has been appointed as Campaign Director. From: Newswire Today PRESS RELEASE: 9 July 2008 Contact: Thomas Dowson +44 (0)20 7930 1813 Embargo: none MARBLES REUNITED APPOINTS CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR The campaign for the return of the Elgin marbles to Greece has [...]
Elginism (Free subscription) | 07/12/2008
The British Museum is currently riding high on a wave of optimism created by rising visitor figures, James Cuno’s book & the news that MacGregor will stay for a further four years. The opening of the New Acropolis Museum later this year though & the unrelenting moral arguments for the return artefacts will still remain [...]
Elginism (Free subscription) | 07/12/2008
Predictably (for any who follow Greek politics) the KKE (Greece’s Communist Party) has criticised plans that the New Acropolis Museum should be run any differently to every other museum in Greece - that is to say, they would prefer that there was never any progress, beyond the current self-serving culture of regular strike action that [...]
Elginism (Free subscription) | 07/12/2008
Following comments on the New Acropolis Museum, various people have suggested that Mary Beard may have changed her mind on the Parthenon Marbles and is stepping down off the fence on the issue. According to this piece in the Spectator (hardly an unbiased source on the Elgin Marbles issue) the answer is that nothing has changed. From: The [...]
ArtsJournal (Free subscription) | 07/11/2008
"After years of discussions, the museum has now decided how it will present the marbles. The originals are being displayed alongside plaster casts of the pieces removed from Greece, most of which are in the British Museum in London. An earlier plan was to place gauze curtains in front of the casts, to make it obvious they are not originals. The museum has now opted for a simpler solution."...
World Hum (Free subscription) | 07/10/2008
There’s a new museum opening in Athens this year, but as the Times of London’s Mark Hodson writes , it’s not just another tourist attraction: It’s also “the latest gambit in a 200-year campaign for the return of the Elgin Marbles ,” currently housed in the British Museum. Hodson toured the New Acropolis Museum before its scheduled opening, and he was wowed by its centerpiece: a “160-metre-long frieze,...
France24 (Free subscription) | 07/09/2008
Greece will finally have its own museum dedicated to one of its most famous landmarks, the Acropolis. Though it is scheduled to open in September, the museum exceptionnally lifted its curtains for FRANCE 24 to have a peep.
Elginism (Free subscription) | 07/08/2008
This documentary on the Parthenon Sculptures (in Greek language only) aired in Greece a few weeks ago. It contains a lot of very up to date information on the issue including footage of the Cambridge Union debate & the UNESCO conference held at the New Acropolis Museum. You can watch the film online here. A transcript of [...]
Elginism (Free subscription) | 07/07/2008
The opening of the New Acropolis Museum later this year will represent one of the most significant events in the museums world for some time - not necessarily because of the building’s facilities, but because of what it will stand for. The question remains though over whether the British Museum will acknowledge this fact & [...]
Elginism (Free subscription) | 07/07/2008
After visiting Athens, Mary Beard has concluded that the spaces within the New Acropolis Museum are very impressive & live up to all expectations. She is still not convinced however about how well the outside sits with the rest of the city. Personally, I think that in a few years, people will get used to [...]
Elginism (Free subscription) | 06/23/2008
A proposal to reunite the Parthenon sculptures has been tabled in West Australia’s State Legislative Assembly. This follows on from last year’s expressions of support by both the Premier of New South Wales & by John Howard, Australia’s then Prime Minister. From: Athens News Agency 06/23/2008 Parthenon marbles repatriation A proposal for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece [...]
The blog art (Free subscription) | 06/09/2008
If it comes to a choice between an obstructed view of the Acropolis and the destruction of exemplary art deco architecture, which do you choose?
New Statesman (Free subscription) | 06/05/2008
It is one of the most controversial issues in the art world today - should museums disperse their collections and return antiquities to their original sites? In particular, should the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum be restored to Athens? With the opening of its glamorous new Acropolis Museum, the Greek campaign for the return of the Elgin Marbles appears to have shot itself in the foot. A few...
