Noted British sculptor and former Trustee of the British Museum Sir Antony Gormley came out for the return of the Parthenon Marbles on Wednesday, saying “I would be happy to return them,” according to greekreporter.com.
In an interview with the magazine British Archaeology, the sculptor urged the British Museum to “take Africa out of the basement” and to stop what he described as its “obsession with the classical world.”Opining that the Museum “misrepresented” some areas of the world while under-representing others. In addition, he said, Africa should be the core of the Museum’s holdings.
The Marbles, which were chipped away from the facade of the Parthenon during the time of Ottoman occupation of Greece, were spirited away from the country in the early 1800s by Thomas Bruce, the 7th Lord Elgin. After the “Mentor,” the ship taking them to England, was wrecked on the coast of Greece, they were painstakingly brought to the surface by sponge divers — and sent on their way once again.
They are now in a dimly-lit area of the Museum, with gray concrete walls as their backdrop.Speaking to interviewers about the sculptures, which the Museum continues to maintain were acquired legitimately, Sir Antony said “I would be happy to return (them) because I think the present galleries are not a particularly inspiring place.”The eminent sculptor, whose works showing the human form are on display at Gateshead in the UK, in the Alps, and in other scenic locations, was especially scathing about the Museum’s display of African artifacts, which are housed in the basement of the building. He called this “an instance of post-colonial iniquity.”
Hartwig Fischer, the director of the British Museum, has already taken notice of the rising movement to address colonialism, saying that he planned to make its displays from non-European cultures more visible in the future.
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