{"id":17612,"date":"2025-06-13T00:23:43","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T22:23:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?p=17612"},"modified":"2025-06-13T00:23:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T22:23:46","slug":"is-there-reconciliation-in-art-restitution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/17612\/is-there-reconciliation-in-art-restitution\/","title":{"rendered":"Is There Reconciliation in Art Restitution?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The restitution of the Parthenon artifacts is on the uprise, this controversial collection of artifacts has long since sparked debate due to the dubious manner that they were acquired, and the debate of its restitutions sparks the question of reconciliation for relations between art institutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Visitor looking at a model of the Parthenon in the KHM. May, 2025. Photograph by Jadie Leung)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
(A side view of the Parthenon model. May, 2024. Photograph by Jadie Leung)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The restitution of the Parthenon back to the Acropolis in Athens would foster better relations between countries, which leads to discussions between Ministers of Foreign Affairs of various countries. Upholding legal rights over the artifacts with Greece. This includes the British Museum<\/a>, which according to their website has had the Parthenon sculptures in their permanent exhibitions since 1817, even before Greece established its independence as a country from the Ottoman Empire in 1832. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restitution is the returning of items to its origin place and holds grave importance in the conversation of reconciliation and the continuous fostering of better relationships between countries. As Nikos Dendias, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said in a 2023 statement<\/a> following his meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, Alexander Schallenberg, \u201cwe discussed ways to enhance even more our relations, as much as possible,\u201d and announced the talks of Austria returning two fragments of the Parthenon to Greece. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Particularly in the circumstantial case of the Parthenon artifacts, including a section of the collection known as the Elgin Marbles in the possession of the British Museum. Greece upholds these artifacts and statues to great significance for their history and culture, Minister Dendias, said that the return of these artifacts \u201cwill add to a series of highly symbolic gestures that may create a positive momentum.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Regional Government of Sicily in 2022 and Pope Francis in January 2023 returned to Greece parts of the Parthenon Sculptures. So, this will be the third one. And this for us is of huge importance,\u201d said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n