Removal of Parthenon Marbles Was a ‘Creative Act’, Says British Museum Director
Hartwig Fischer has caused anger with his ‘imperialist’ statements after ruling out returning the marbles to Greece
landcavalcade.jpg
Unmounted youths preparing for the cavalcade, block from the north frieze of the Parthenon, c. 438-432 BC, marble. © © The Trustees of the British Museum
Hartwig Fischer, the director of the British Museum in London has sparked controversy after saying that the displacement of the Parthenon Marbles from Greece in the 19th century could be viewed as a ‘creative act’.
According to the Guardian, the British Museum chief ruled out the return of the 2,500-year-old sculptures in an interview with Greek newspaper Ta Nea, and said that the British Museum offered an alternative way of engaging with the marbles by ‘posing different questions because the objects are placed in a new context.’ He suggested that although moving cultural heritage to a museum moves it outside of its original environment and context, the ‘shifting is also a creative act.’
In response to Fischer’s comments, the secretary of the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures, told the Greek newspaper: ‘The imperialist patronage of the British Museum has no limits,’ and said that the Museum director’s remarks stemmed from a place of ‘astonishing historical revisionism and arrogance.’
Fischer’s argument is that the monument’s history is ‘enriched’ due to its placing split between Athens and London where ‘six million people see them every year.’ He also stated that the government would need to rewrite the laws as the legal owners are the British Museum’s trustees who have a responsibility to preserve the museum’s collection as bestowed to them by the British Parliament.
An opinion poll conducted by YouGov in 2014 found that only a quarter of the British public wanted to keep the monument. Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn has vowed to return the marbles if his party is elected. Pressured to return the Parthenon Marbles, should the museum finally give way. Don’t miss classicist Paul Cartledge writing on why in the age of Brexit, Corbyn’s pledge to return the ‘stolen’ artefacts has never been more urgent.
弗里泽新闻台（News/by Frieze News Desk）2019年1月29日报道/删除帕台农大理石（Parthenon Marbles）是一项“创造性行为”，弗里泽新闻台（Frieze News Desk）大英博物馆馆长表示。2019年1月29日，Hartwig Fischer在排除将大理石归还希腊Landcavalcade.jpg 未安装的年轻人正在准备F区的Cavalcade后，对他的“帝国主义”声明表示愤怒。公元前438-432年，帕台农神庙的北檐带，大理石。礼貌：伦敦大英博物馆馆长哈特维格·费舍尔（Hartwig Fischer）表示，19世纪将帕台农大理石从希腊移走可能被视为“创造性行为”，这引起了争议。据《卫报》报道，大英博物馆馆长排除了这一可能性。在接受希腊报纸《塔尼亚》采访时，这座2500年前的雕塑被归还。他说，大英博物馆提供了另一种处理大理石的方法，即“提出不同的问题，因为这些物品被放置在一个新的环境中”。他说，尽管将文化遗产转移到博物馆，会将其移出帕台农雕塑统一国际协会（International Association for the Uninization of the Parthenon Sculptures）秘书长对希腊报纸（The Green Newspaper）表示：“帝国主义者对大英博物馆的赞助是没有限制的”，并说博物馆馆长对菲舍尔的评论做出了回应。菲舍尔的言论源于一个“惊人的历史修正主义和傲慢自大”的地方。他说，纪念碑的历史之所以“丰富”，是因为它位于雅典和伦敦之间，每年有六百万人在那里看到它们。他还说，政府需要将法律改写为法律。NES是大英博物馆的受托人，他们有责任保护英国议会授予他们的博物馆收藏。YouGov在2014年进行的一项民意调查发现只有四分之一的英国公众想要保留这座纪念碑。工党领袖杰里米·科尔宾发誓，如果他的政党当选，他将归还大理石。迫于压力归还帕台农大理石，博物馆最终应该让位。不要错过古典主义者保罗卡特利奇写的关于为什么在英国脱欧时代，科尔宾的承诺，归还’被盗’的文物从未如此迫切。中楣新闻台新闻/大英博物馆帕台农大理石希腊新闻
FRIZE特稿 ARThing编译
