PARTHENON PROJECT
PARTHENON PROJECT CAMPAIGN TO REUNIFY THE PARTHENON SCULPTURES
The Parthenon Project is a campaign aiming to reunify the Parthenon Sculptures currently housed in the British Museum in their birthplace in Athens, as a complete artistic work. Founded by Greek-Canadian businessman, John Lefas, the campaign operates under the guidance of an advisory board chaired by former Culture Minister Lord Ed Vaizey, and comprising former Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw MP, Lord Dobbs, Baroness Meyer, Stephen Fry, Sarah Baxter, Professor Stathis Kalyvas and Professor Nikos Alivizatos.
The Parthenon Project maintains the exceptionality of the Parthenon Sculptures case. An exceptional case requires an exceptional deal. The campaign proposes a ‘cultural partnership agreement’ which would be mutually beneficial to Greece and the UK. Such an agreement would take an ‘agree to disagree’ approach, acknowledging the absence of a shared position on the issue of ownership of the Parthenon Sculptures.
Central to the Parthenon Project ‘win-win’ proposal are the following key components:
Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures in the Acropolis Museum, as a complete artistic work;
Curation of world-class visiting exhibitions of never-before-seen Greek masterpieces to be displayed in a refurbished Hellenic Gallery at the British Museum;
Establishment of a joint Greek-British Foundation to fund a long-term programme of scholarships and wider educational and cultural activities to benefit young people in the UK and Greece;
Assurance that the proposed agreement would be deliverable within the current legal framework, including under the British Museum Act 1963.
In a July 2023 poll commissioned by the Parthenon Project, the British public has confirmed that, should the British Museum and Acropolis Museum agree to a solution that would see the Parthenon Sculptures reunified in Greece while other Greek artefacts are lent to the UK, 64% would support returning the Sculptures. The polling results were covered by BBC News, Ta Nea and Kathimerini.
NOSTOS Strategies is advising the Parthenon Project. For further coverage of the Parthenon Project, see Museums Association, Ta Nea, Kathimerini and Reuters.