Showing results 37 - 48 of 97 for the category: Events.

November 27, 2012

Greek Photographer Nelly’s nudes of dancer Mona Paeva on the Acropolis

Posted at 2:39 pm in Events

Some of the most famous photos of the Acropolis are those taken by the Greek Photographer Elli Sougioultzoglou-Seraidari AKA Nelly, of the nude ballerina Mona Paeva.

A new exhibition shows these, along with other works by the photographer and runs until 12th January in Athens’s AlphaDelta gallery.

You can see more information about the exhibition at the Gallery’s website.

From:
Greek Reporter

Nude on the Parthenon: Nelly’s Picture Show
By Marianna Tsatsou on November 27, 2012 in Culture, News

The Athens-based AlphaDelta gallery is presenting a solo show-tribute to the photographer Nelly (also known as Elli Sougioultzoglou-Seraidari, 1899 Aydin, Asia Minor – 1998 Athens, Greece) entitled Un nouveau regard (A new glance).

At the exhibit, which runs from Nov. 10 this year to Jan. 12, 2013, a series of works of the famed Greek photographer will be shown, including New York Easter Parade. She was known for her work in what was called New Objectivity.
Read the rest of this entry »

November 14, 2012

Beyond the Elgin Marbles – The Cultural Property Debate by Jennifer Neils at Kalmazoo Institute of Arts

Posted at 9:51 am in Elgin Marbles, Events, Similar cases

Jennifer Neils, art historian & author of books on the Parthenon Marbles is giving a talk at Kalmazoo Institute of Arts today, on the issues that museums face when purchasing new artefacts for their collections.

From:
Kalmazoo Institute of Arts

Buying Antiquities Can Be a Tricky Business
Kalamazoo Art League Presents: Beyond the Elgin Marbles – The Cultural Property Debate

Buying antiquities can be a tricky business, and more than a few museums have fallen victim to nefarious dealers selling stolen or counterfeit works. Even if an item has been authenticated and was legitimately acquired, museums have had to face stark opposition from art historians and the public who believe these precious works should remain in the country of their origin, or not displayed at all. Learn why its important to research, authenticate and purchase from reputable art dealers at this month’s Kalamazoo Art League Lecture: Beyond the Elgin Marbles: The Cultural Property Debate

One such infamous case of cultural property was the removal of the “Elgin Marbles,” a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures, inscriptions and architectural pieces that originally were part of the Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis of Athens. During the excavation and display at the British Museum, the Elgin Marbles suffered damage and deterioration. Today, there remains a contentious debate over the legality of the excavation and the morality of removing them from Greece to be displayed in England.
Read the rest of this entry »

November 6, 2012

Exhibition in Boston of watercolour paintings of Elgin Marbles

Posted at 2:26 pm in Elgin Marbles, Events

An exhibition at Gurari Collections, Boston, MA, is displaying various watercolour paintings of the Parthenon Sculptures by artist Wendy Artin.

From:
People of Shambhala

Elgin Marbles given new life in watercolor exhibition
Posted by People of Shambhala on October 28, 2012

One of the most important artifacts of the ancient world — the Elgin Marbles — has come to the USA in the form of a new watercolor exhibition in Boston.

The Elgin Marbles were acquired Lord Elgin when he served as ambassador to the Ottoman court of the Sultan in Istanbulin between 1801 and 1805. The sculptures were later bought by the British Parliament and given to the British Museum where they currently reside. However, Greece has repeatedly called for the artifacts to be returned to their country of origin.
Read the rest of this entry »

October 18, 2012

Protest outside British Museum this Saturday with Cypriot Students Union

Posted at 8:32 am in British Museum, Elgin Marbles, Events

The Cypriot Students Union along with the I am Greek & I want to go home campaign are organising a protest outside the British Museum for the return of the Parthenon Marbles.

The protest takes place this Saturday from 12:00 to 14:30.

There is a Facebook event page for the event here.

Automatic translation below – follow the link to read the original version in Greek.

From:
Protoporia

Protest: “I AM GREEK AND I WANT TO GO HOME”
On October 16, 2012, in Ads , Press Releases , by tasostheo

The Pioneers F.P.K UK in consultation with the Independent Movement for the return of Greek art «I AM GREEK AND I WANT TO GO HOME », invariably invites ALL to devote some of their time, next Saturday 20/10/2012 to unite with her, their voices for the return of the Parthenon sculptures where they belong. In Greece, the history and the people of …
Venue: Courtyard of the British Museum – London
Time: 12:00 to 14:30

It’s been 206 years of absence of the Parthenon marbles from their motherland, Greece, for this we need to return. The time has come to live up to the values ​​we all share and contribute as Greeks in the universal struggle for their return to this little piece of land located in the capital of Greece.
Read the rest of this entry »

October 16, 2012

Is our obsession to posses art above the law? Lecture by Marc Masurovsky

Posted at 2:27 pm in Events, Similar cases

Keri Douglas has organised a talk in Washington this Friday, on Art, antiquities & law. The talk is being given by Marc Masurovsky, co-founder of the Holocaust Art Restitution Project.

Visit the event’s website for full details & to purchase tickets.

From:
Eventbrite

Art, Antiquities & War: Is Our Obsession to Posses Art Above the Law Lecture Series
Keri Douglas
Friday, October 19, 2012 from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM (EDT)
Washington, United States

Event Details
Marc Masurovsky, editor of plundered-art.blogspot.com and co-founder of the Holocaust Art Restitution Project will discuss the merits and challenges of the current legislation (S.2212) being considered in the U.S. Senate that potentially would give full immunity for any cultural object regardless of origin, whether licit or not, to enter the United States for cultural display without fear of being the subject of a legal claim. The proposed bill also exempts a small category of objects that were “taken” under Nazi rule—the so-called “Nazi exception”. At stake are the challenges that foreign lenders face in light of S. 2212 as well as potential or actual claimants seeking the return of their looted property.
Read the rest of this entry »

August 7, 2012

The true colours of the sculptures from the Acropolis

Posted at 1:12 pm in Elgin Marbles, Events, Greece Archaeology

A temporary exhibition at the New Acropolis Museum in Athens aims to give visitors a better idea of the colours that the sculptures on the Acropolis would originally have been, rather than the pristine while marble that we see today.

From:
Acropolis Museum

Archaic Colors

Commencing Tuesday 31 July 2012 and for the next twelve months, the Acropolis Museum wants to conduct research on its unique collection of archaic statues, which retain their colors to a small or large degree, and to open a very extensive discussion with the public and various experts on color, its technical issues, its detection using new technologies, its experimental use on marble surfaces, its digital reconstruction, its meaning, as well as the archaic period’s aesthetic perception of color. So far, scientific research into the color found on ancient sculpture has made great progress and reached surprising conclusions that to a large degree refute the stereotypical assumptions regarding ancient sculpture. It turns out that color, far from being just a simple decorative element, added to the sculpture’s aesthetic quality.
Read the rest of this entry »

July 11, 2012

Giovanni Battista Lusieri – Lord Elgin’s artist’s works go on display in Edinburgh’s National Gallery

Posted at 1:14 pm in Elgin Marbles, Events

Giovanni Battista Lusieri is famous to many as the artist employed by Lord Elgin, who was instrumental in the process of removal of the marbles from the Parthenon.

Originally, Lord Elgin had considered a number of possible artists for his trip – one of who was the (then not so famous & therefore deemed unsuitable for the role) J M W Turner. Lusieri ended up with the job & produced many sketches & paintings of the Parthenon both before & after the removal of the marbles. He stayed in Athens long after Lord Elgin had left & all of the works from this period were unfortunately lost at sea, when the ship carrying them, the Cambria, was wrecked off the coast of Crete in 1828.

A new exhibition looks at some of his other paintings which have survived however – from this one might get an idea of how the works made in Athens would have looked.

From:
Financial Times

July 1, 2012 7:05 pm
Expanding Horizons: Giovanni Battista Lusieri and the Panoramic Landscape, Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh
By Jackie Wullschlager

This is the first show devoted to the once sought-after painter of monuments and volcanos

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/3e8a16ee-c1d8-11e1-b76a-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz20JvOhUDt
Read the rest of this entry »

June 16, 2012

New Acropolis Museum to celebrate third birthday on 20th June with musical performances & late opening

Posted at 3:33 pm in Events, New Acropolis Museum

On Wednesday 20th June, the New Acropolis Musuem will celebrate the third anniversary of its opening.

As part of the celebrations, the museum will have extended opening hours & there will be a series of musical performances within the exhibition spaces.

From:
Greek Reporter

Third Year Anniversary of the Opening of the New Acropolis Museum
By Areti Kotseli on June 15, 2012

The New Acropolis Museum in Athens celebrates its three years of existence with a series of events on its premises Wednesday, June 20th. Exhibition spaces will remain open to the public from 8.00 a.m. to midnight and general admission will be offered with a festive 3-Euro ticket.

Famous soloists and eminent musicians will be entertaining visitors in every exhibition space of the museum performing ancient music, music of the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras and separate works of the 20th century.
Read the rest of this entry »

June 12, 2012

The Intelligence Squared debate over whether the Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Athens

Posted at 1:52 pm in British Museum, Elgin Marbles, Events

Along with many others, I attended the debate at Cadogan Hall in London last night, on whether the Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Athens.

The final line up for the debate was:

For the Motion
Andrew George MP
Stephen Fry

Against the motion
Tristram Hunt MP (& historian)
Professor Felipe Fernandez-Armesto (Professor of History at Notre Dame University in the USA)

The debate was chaired by BBC World News presenter Zeinab Badawi.

As people entered the debate, a poll was taken, and gave the following results:
For the motion: 196
Against the motion: 202
Undecided: 158

So, at this stage, those who wanted to keep the Marbles in the British Museum were in the majority, albeit by a small amount. The hope was, that even if these people couldn’t be convinced, to changed their minds, then those who were undecided would be able to be swung towards the case for their return.

I won’t go into too much detail on Andrew George’s arguments & Stephen Fry’s, as articles by both of them have already been posted on this site & there were no major surprises in the approach that they took (links to previous articles – Andrew George – Comment: No bailout, but will the Elgin marbles do? & Stephen Fry – A modest proposal). Andrew George opened, with his recounting of attempts to table an Early Day Motion about the Stone Henge megaliths in Greece (followup here), which although it is on the face of it just an amusing story, highlights that people may well see things differently, when they look at a similar situation from the opposite side of the table.

Stephen Fry’s assertions were for us to show that we can be a classy country – that we can do the right thing & make Britain look good on an international stage, rather than clinging on to the many fallacious arguments that often seem to engulf this issue.

Tristram Hunt mentioned early on, that “Athens is just as well equipped to look after the Marbles as Britain“. Coming from someone arguing to keep them here, perhaps this should finally put to rest, the contention (which probably should have gone away about the same time the British Empire ended) that the Greeks could not look after the artefacts as well as the British.

After this positive (for those arguing for their return) start though, there was some slight topic drift, with comparisons to the Wedgewood china around the world that comes from the potteries of Stoke-on-Trent (singing the praises of his own constituency as much as anything else). While he is right that Wedgewood pottery has made Stoke on Trent famous around the world, what we are talking about here is a product of the industrial revolution – something that is mass produced & designed to be sold. In most cases, there are no doubts over the rightful owners & none of the plates that I know of were ever designed with the purpose as serving as integral structural elements of a building in a UNESCO World Heritage site. He argued, that the people of Greece should be proud that their marbles are on display in the British Museum. Whether or not they are proud, is not quite the point here, as they never requested that they were put on display in Britain – so it can’t be compared to the popularity of loans made to museums, with the main intention of exhibiting culture around the world.

Then, the assertion was made, that the marbles had been acquired completely legally by Elgin. This statement (which he would not back down from), goes against much of the research into the firman, which we only know of through a single surviving translated copy in Italian, which gives Elgin no clear permission to do anything other than take casts & remove loose pieces of stone that had already fallen to the ground. Alluding to the run up to the second gulf war, Andrew George had already referred to the firman, as Elgin’s dodgy dossier. Even at the time of Elgin’s sale of the sculptures to the British government, the speaker’s notes read “Lord Elgin’s petition presented. The collection praised. Lord Elgin’s conduct, and his right to the collection as his private property much questioned. Petition to lie on the table.” so clearly not everyone sees this as quite such a clear cut case of completely legitimate ownership.

Hunt (Tristram, not Elgin’s chaplain) stated, that he sees the firman as entirely legal, on the basis that it has never been challenged in law. I wanted to ask him (but did not get the chance to), whether, on this basis, were the case of legitimate ownership by the British Museum challenged in a British or International court, he would then be willing to revoke this argument & accept that they were in Britain unlawfully.

Professor Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, took the stage after Stephen Fry, although he had earlier made some pointed comments that the motion for the debate had to be stuck to – that we were only discussing the merits of returning the Parthenon Marbles to Athens, & that whether or not they were going to be displayed in the New Acropolis Museum was not a relevant point.

After a complete derailment of the argument where he tried to describe Stephen Fry as a national treasure, he settled down to actually discussing the issue at hand. He sees the New Acropolis Museum as a different type of Museum to the British Museum, where we should think of it as being a mirror, rather than a window. This might be the cases, and they are definitely different types of museum – but that does not necessarily mean that one role or mode of display is somehow any more valid than another.

A lot of his reasoning hung on the Universal Museum argument – something that has received much criticism in the past & is definitely not an idea accepted universally. He pointed out that for professionals, having centres of reasearch is important, but it is unclear, why Athens itself (it does not have to be limited to a single institution, as they are all relatively near to one another) could not become a centre for the research of Greek sculpture on this basis. He suggested that only in the British Museum are researchers able to uncover new facts about the artefacts, but surely perhaps a whole different set of new findings might emerge if the sculptures could be observed in the context of other artefacts from the same location, but different eras?

The slippery slope (also known as the floodgates) argument was raised, yet this argument tends to ignore three points – the first being, that many artefacts have already been returned from museums for a variety of reasons & in a variety of circumstances, without opening any floodgates. The second point, is that each cases is unique & assessed on its own individual merits, so it is hard for a precedent to be set. The final problem with this argument, is that it advocates not taking the right action now, for fear that you might have to repeat it again in the future – when surely, if it is the right action, then it is right for it to be repeated?

He also raised the possibility that the campaign for return of the marbles was a recent thing & a sign of Greek nationalism – comparing it (somewhat insultingly) to the rise of Golden Dawn & Neo-Naziism at the most recent elections in Athens (I know many who support the return of the Marbles & none of them are even vaguely close to supporting the principles of Golden Dawn). This argument ignores many earlier restitution requests & proposals, along with the fact that Elgin’s actions were mentioned in a critical way less than fifty years after the removal of the sculptures.

There was quite a lengthy Q&A session, where members of the audience raised their own points both for & against the return of the sculptures. This revealed one other interesting point – they wanted to get the opinions of some Greeks, and it became clear, that while there were many Greeks in the audience, they were clearly outnumbered by the non-Greeks, probably constituting less than 20% of those there.

At the end, a new poll was taken, giving the following result:

For the motion: 384
Against the motion: 125
Undecided: 24

Note that the totals vary slightly, because a number of people had to leave early, as the debate lasted longer than had originally been indicated.

So what had begun as a slight win for those in favour of keeping the sculptures in Britain turned into a resounding vote in favour of their return.

If we look at the numbers more closely, we can see that the number in favour of return almost doubled, while those wanting to keep them here reduced by 60%. Only 15% of the original fence sitters were left, with the rest having managed to make up their mind one way or the other.

As an overall result, nearly three times as many people were in favour of the return of the sculptures as wanted to keep them in the UK, with less than 5% being unwilling to express an opinion either way.

This highlights what I have thought for a long time – that the more people know about the Marbles, the more they are likely to support their return. It definitely appeared to be true in this case.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the debate (on both sides) & attended it – I think a lot of people learned many new points about the subject & some were even persuaded to change their point of view on it. Thank you especially to Zeinab Badawi, for managing to control both sides, keeping them on topic & trying to let as many people have their say within a limited amount of time (and adding a bit of amusement to the proceedings at times too).

Edited recordings of the event will be broadcast on BBC World News at 09:10 and 21:10 on 23 June, and 02:10 and 15:10 on 24 June. See this post for more details of how to watch it.

After the first TV broadcast date, the recording will also be available to watch on Intelligence Squared’s website and on their Youtube Channel

Please use the #iq2marbles hashtag if you want to search for (or discuss) coverage of the event on Twitter

June 2, 2012

Talk in Ohio on: “The Looting of the Parthenon and the Fight to Preserve Our Cultural Property”

Posted at 8:47 pm in Elgin Marbles, Events

Michael J Reppas of the American Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures will be presenting a lecture about the Parthenon Sculptures Tomorrow Morning in Columbus, Ohio.

A comprehensive Historical, Moral & Legal Presentation on: The Looting of the Parthenon and the Fight to Preserve Our Cultural Property

The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in association with the Hellenic Heritage Foundation & The American Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures

Proudly present

A comprehensive Historical, Moral & Legal Presentation on: The Looting of the Parthenon and the Fight to Preserve Our Cultural Property

By Michael J Reppas, Esq.

June 3 2012 in the Church Hall following Services

The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral
555 N High Street
Columbus
Ohio
43215

Tel: 614.224.9020

BBC4 Four reshowing Elgin Marbles documentary tomorrow evening

Posted at 7:57 pm in British Museum, Elgin Marbles, Events

BBC Four is reshowing a documentary directed by Robin Dashwood, that it originally made in 2004, to coincide with the Athens Olympics, about the story behind the Parthenon Sculptures & how they came to end up in the British Museum.

From:
BBC

The Elgin Marbles
Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Sun 3 Jun 2012 21:00 BBC Four, Repeats Mon 4 Jun 2012 02:30 BBC Four

Drama-documentary in which art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon tells the story of the greatest cultural controversy of the last 200 years. He explores the history of the Elgin Marbles, tells the dramatic story of their removal from Athens and cites the arguments for and against their return to Greece.

Live broadcast of the Intellegence Squared Parthenon Marbles debate at the New Acropolis Museum

Posted at 12:37 pm in British Museum, Elgin Marbles, Events

The Intelligence Squared Debate in London on the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, is going to be streamed live to the New Acropolis Museum in Athens, for any Greeks (or others in the area at the time) who want to watch it.

The original article is in Greek. What follows is a rather poor attempt at converting it into English with Google Translate. Follow the link to read the original Greek text. And note that the times are different to the UK event, to allow for the different time zones.

There is also a poll on the page – so remember to visit the page to add your vote.

From:
Intelligence Squared Greece

EVENT INFO
Monday, June 11, 2012, 20.30 – 10.30 (20.20 close attendance)
Intelligence Squared Greece and the Acropolis Museum presents an exclusive live broadcast from London, the debate on the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Athens

Admission is free with pre-booked seats necessary.

Legally owned the Parthenon Marbles in the British Museum? Would Greece be sure, if they returned to Athens? These two questions are central to a debate that lasts for more than 200 years. The views are changing, along with the conditions in both countries, but this issue remains unresolved. In a particularly critical period for Greece where the image of the country is often hit in the international media, but just before the Olympic Games in London, presents an Intelligence Squared debate on this timeless question. Whether the time has come to return the Marbles to Athens? Can this be a move to Greece friendship, or even the biggest tribute to our country? Or is the argument that Britain Greece does not have the resources they need maintenance of marbles and show them to a worldwide audience, be more true today than in the past?

* The debate will be held in English with simultaneous translation into Greek.