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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