A museum worker allegedly stole over 2,000 invaluable objects over a number of years, auctioning a lot of them on eBay
Greece has renewed requires the UK to return the enduring Parthenon Marbles that had been faraway from Athens within the nineteenth century after it emerged final week that the British Museum had fired an worker for allegedly stealing over 2,000 invaluable items and promoting them.
“We need to inform the British Museum that they can’t any extra say that Greek tradition heritage is extra protected within the British Museum” than it’s in Greece, Despina Koutsoumba, director of the Affiliation of Greek Archaeologists, informed the BBC on Wednesday.
Tradition Minister Lina Mendoni agreed that the theft “reinforces the everlasting and truthful demand of our nation for the definitive return and reunification” of the sculptures, also called the Elgin Marbles after the British Lord Elgin who eliminated them from the Acropolis.
Tim Loughton, chair of the all-parliamentary group on the British Museum, bristled at what he referred to as the “blatant opportunism” of the Greeks. “It’s extremely uncommon that issues go lacking,” he informed the BBC, arguing that the thefts weren’t “the heist of the Mona Lisa.”
The museum admitted final week that an unnamed variety of objects had been lacking, stolen, or broken and fired Peter Higgs, a senior curator and Greek artifact skilled with 30 years on the job. It’s reportedly taking authorized motion.
Police have apparently been investigating the thefts for the reason that starting of the yr, however haven’t made any arrests. Artwork supplier Ittai Gradel warned the British Museum in 2021 that he had bought a number of objects on-line that he acknowledged from the establishment’s catalog – solely to have his considerations brushed apart by its deputy director Jonathan Williams, who insisted there was “no suggestion of any wrongdoing,” claiming the “assortment was protected.”
Gradel allegedly purchased about 70 of the antiquities on eBay beginning in 2014 and resold them for a lot greater quantities earlier than tipping off the museum, returning a number of the objects, and sending investigators after his patrons. He has referred to as for Williams and museum director Hartwig Fischer to be fired.
Fischer, who introduced his resignation final month, claimed Gradel had been lower than forthcoming about his purchases, explaining that it was solely after the museum started a full audit of its assortment a yr after the supplier’s warning that employees realized there was an issue.
The museum has nonetheless not revealed the extent of the losses, however media studies counsel as many as 2,000 objects are lacking, probably price tens of millions.
Fischer made headlines in 2019 for declaring that Elgin’s elimination of the marbles from Athens was a “artistic act” and that they might not be returned. Greece has lengthy been combating out and in of courts to regain the priceless artifacts.
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