Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins calls for Parthenon Sculptures to return to Athens

Stay connected to Greek City Times for Free on Google News
Click NOW

A fresh intervention in the Guardian has reignited the debate over the future of the Parthenon Sculptures, with veteran columnist Simon Jenkins arguing that they should be returned to Greece and reunited in Athens.

In a column published on October 2, Jenkins draws a direct comparison between the Parthenon Sculptures and the Bayeux Tapestry, which is currently on display at the British Museum after being loaned to Britain by France.

His argument is straightforward: if Britain can accept that the Bayeux Tapestry will eventually return to France, Jenkins asks why a similar principle cannot apply to the Parthenon Sculptures.

The Guardian columnist argues that the sculptures should be returned to Greece and describes their continued retention in London as a failure to resolve a dispute that has lasted for decades.

The Bayeux Tapestry comparison

The Bayeux Tapestry arrived at the British Museum in 2026 under a formal agreement between France and Britain.

The medieval artwork is being displayed in London temporarily, with the loan scheduled to run until 2027. France remains its owner, while the British Museum is hosting the work during the renovation of the Bayeux Museum.

Jenkins uses that arrangement to question the arguments surrounding the Parthenon Sculptures.

He points to what he sees as an obvious contradiction. Britain is willing to display a major French cultural treasure temporarily before it returns to its country of origin, while the British Museum continues to hold a substantial part of the sculptural decoration removed from the Parthenon.

The British Museum currently holds 15 metopes, 17 figures from the pediments and about 75 metres of the original Parthenon frieze. Other surviving sections remain in Athens and in several European museums.

Mitsotakis raised the same comparison

Jenkins’ intervention follows an article published by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the Guardian in September.

Mitsotakis also used the Bayeux Tapestry as an example of what happens when an artwork created as a unified whole is treated as separate pieces.

He argued that the Parthenon Sculptures were designed as part of a single architectural and artistic composition and should therefore be reunited at the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

The timing of the two interventions is significant because the Bayeux loan has also been discussed by British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan as an example of international cultural cooperation.

Cullinan previously described the agreement that brought the tapestry to London as a compelling example of international partnership and suggested that its success could help create momentum for progress over the Parthenon dispute.

Decades of disagreement

The dispute over the Parthenon Sculptures has continued since Greece formally began pressing for their return in the modern era.

The sculptures were removed from the Parthenon during the early 19th century under the direction of Lord Elgin. The British Museum says the British government acquired Elgin’s collection in 1816 and that the sculptures have been publicly displayed in London since 1817.

Greece has consistently rejected the idea that the issue should be resolved simply through a conventional museum loan that could imply British ownership.

The British Museum, meanwhile, maintains that the sculptures form part of a global collection and says they should be understood within the wider story of interconnected cultures.

The legal framework is another obstacle. The British Museum Act 1963 places significant restrictions on the disposal of objects from the museum’s collection.

George Osborne and the search for a compromise

Jenkins also points to the role of George Osborne, who became chair of the British Museum and has supported efforts to find an agreement with Greece.

In a 2023 speech, Osborne said he hoped the museum could reach an agreement that would allow the Parthenon Sculptures to be seen in both Athens and London, while also allowing Greek treasures that have never left Greece to be displayed at the British Museum.

He described the objective as finding a practical arrangement that would not require either side to abandon its claims.

That approach has remained at the centre of discussions, but the fundamental disagreement over ownership has continued to complicate the search for a settlement.

Jenkins calls for reunification in Athens

For Jenkins, however, the issue goes beyond ownership, museum policy or diplomatic negotiations.

His argument centres on the artistic and historical unity of the Parthenon itself.

The surviving sculptures were created as part of the decoration of the ancient temple and were intended to be experienced within that architectural setting. Their separation means that visitors in Athens and London see different parts of a work that was originally conceived as a whole.

Jenkins therefore argues that the current dispute should not continue indefinitely.

His intervention adds another prominent British voice to the debate and comes at a moment when the Bayeux Tapestry has demonstrated that major cultural treasures can cross borders through negotiated international agreements.

For the Guardian columnist, the comparison raises a simple question: if the Bayeux Tapestry can return to France after its British exhibition, why should the Parthenon Sculptures not ultimately return to Athens?

The debate over the future of the sculptures remains unresolved, but the arrival of the Bayeux Tapestry in London has given the decades old dispute a new point of comparison.

Stay updated with the latest news from Greece and around the world on greekcitytimes.com.
Contact our newsroom to share your updates, stories, photos, or videos. Follow GCT on Google News and Apple News.