Greece accuses British Museum of ‘provocative indifference’ over pink ball | Parthenon marbles

The British Museum has been accused of “provocative indifference” and “describing Greek culture in the shadow of Barbie” by authorities in Greece after hosting a star-studded fundraising gala that included guests sitting near the Parthenon marbles.

Days after Mick Jagger, Naomi Campbell, Alexa Chung, Miuccia Prada, Manolo Blahnik, Kristin Scott Thomas and dozens of other celebrities and billionaires paid £2,000 each to attend the museum’s inaugural pink ball, Greek authorities were still angry over an incident described as offensive by the country’s culture minister.

Lina Mendoni said the museum was guilty of “provocative indifference” to treasures that represent the pinnacle of classical western art. Images of tables piled high with the trappings of a lavish meal, steps away from antiques, also raised ethical questions, he scolded.

“The safety, integrity and ethics of monuments must be the British Museum’s primary concern… once again it displays a provocative display of indifference,” he said.

Guests at the gala, which raised more than £2.5 million for the museum, were treated to the highlight of the evening at the Duveen Gallery, B.C. A silent auction was also held throughout the night.

But many in Athens on Thursday said the gala’s biggest achievement was that it brought relations between the museum and the Greek government to a new level at a particularly sensitive time amid efforts to resolve a cultural dispute over the statues. Greece has been campaigning for decades to reunite the artworks with other pieces that once adorned the Parthenon.

As the anger intensified, more and more officers sounded angrier.

Greek parliament speaker Nikitas Kaklamanis chastised the British Museum for deciding to “hide Greek culture in the shadow of Barbie”, while also criticizing the “provocative use” of the statues as a “tourist attraction”.

“At a time when the Parthenon sculptures, born in Athens 2,500 years ago, are patiently awaiting their return to the homeland… the British Museum is preparing provocative, ostentatious tables with our sculptures in the background in the Duveen Gallery,” he said, deploring the institution’s “cynical” goal of “raising money for its own benefit.”

The antiquities, carved by Pericles’ master sculptor Phidias, adorned the Parthenon’s monumental frieze before it was removed under highly contentious circumstances by Lord Elgin, Britain’s ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, more than 200 years ago. Elgin, bankrupted by his efforts, sold them to the British government in 1816.

Nikolaos Stampolidis, general director of the Acropolis Museum, whose upper gallery was specially prepared for the display of the sculptures within the view of the monument, said the “unpleasant” incident was once again indisputable proof that the masterpieces should be reassembled where they were carved.

The British Museum declined to comment.