Greece reacts to London Fashion Show inspired by Greek singer Maria Callas

Greek Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni reacts after a fashion show took place in front of the Parthenon Marbles at the British Museum on Saturday as part of London Fashion Week

Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni reacted when designer Erdem Moralioglu used the impressive setting of the Athens Parthenon sculptures exhibition hall at the British Museum to present his eponymous brand Erdem’s fall-winter 2024 collection inspired by Greek singer Maria Callas and her 1953 interpretation of the opera Medea.

“By organizing a fashion show in the halls where the Parthenon Sculptures are exhibited, the British Museum, once again, proves its zero respect for the masterpieces of Pheidias,” Mendoni said.

The sculptures were taken from the Parthenon temple at the Acropolis in Greece in the early 19th century by British diplomat Thomas Bruce, the earl of Elgin.

“The directors of the British Museum trivialize and insult not only the monument but also the universal values that it transmits. The conditions of display and storage of the sculptures at the Duveen Gallery are constantly deteriorating. It is time for the stolen and abused sculptural masterpieces to shine in the Attic light,” Mendoni added.

Athens maintained that the marbles, a significant draw for visitors to London’s British Museum, were stolen, while the U.K. claims they were obtained legally.

The 1963 British Museum Act prohibits the removal of objects from the institution’s collection.

But officials at the museum, which is under pressure to repatriate other foreign antiquities, have not ruled out a possible loan deal.

Source: Newsroom & AFP