Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport Written Evidence


Memorandum submitted by Marbles Reunited: Friends of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles

1.  ABOUT US

  Marbles Reunited: Friends of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles is a British organisation which lobbies for the reunification of all surviving Parthenon Sculptures in the New Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece. Our membership includes politicians, lawyers, archaeologists, museum professionals, architects, media figures and leading academics.

2.  MAIN POINTS

  In our view current restrictions on the disposal of objects imposed by statute, charity law and the terms of gifts:

    (a)  May cause injustice to individuals or communities.

    (b)  Handicap museums by limiting the discretion of directors or trustees to manage their collections in accordance with their best interests.

    (c)  Restrict or exclude opportunities for potentially advantageous exchanges, long term loans or joint ventures with other museums at home and abroad.

    (d)  Are out of step with current and evolving best practice.

    (e)  Limit the powers of directors and trustees to give full consideration to the merits of external claims and requests.

    (f)  May tend to expose directors or trustees in foreign jurisdictions to personal, civil or criminal litigation.

  As a consequence of all of the above it is submitted that the standing of British museums may be damaged in the eyes of the international community.

3.  FACTUAL INFORMATION THAT THE SELECT COMMITTEE SHOULD BE AWARE OF

  The current Greek offer for the return of the Parthenon Marbles sets aside claims to ownership, invites joint curatorship and reunification of all surviving pieces within the New Acropolis Museum. The British Museum has never given a reasoned response to the points in this offer. In exchange for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, Greece has set aside any claims on other items in the British Museum and has offered to lend artefacts of exceptional significance to museums in Britain. The New Acropolis Museum has state of the art facilities and will open in early 2007.

4.  RECOMMENDATIONS

  Whilst we understand the historic rationale for legal prohibitions against the deaccessioning of objects from British museums, we believe that absolute bars are now no longer the best way to balance the safeguarding of museum collections with other legal and cultural interests. It should instead fall within the remit of individual museums to set their own policies for the disposal of objects within their collections.

  There should be a mechanism to ensure the timely and fair consideration by museums of all claims and proposals involving deaccessioning and relocation of artefacts. This should be legally enforceable and judicially reviewable.

28 September 2006



 
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