UK possession of Elgin Marbles is like ‘cutting the Mona Lisa in half’ says Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis as he demands famous ancient sculptures are returned to Athens

• Row over whether the ancient friezes should be removed from British Museum

Keeping the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum is artistic vandalism akin to cutting the Mona Lisa in half, the Greek prime minister said today as he appeals for them to be returned to Athens.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis stepped into the row over whether the 2,500-year-old friezes, also known as the Parthenon Sculptures, should be removed from the British Museum.

Greece has long demanded the return of the ancient art, which was removed from the Parthenon 200 years ago when Athens was under Ottoman control.

Last week it was reported that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer would be open to repatriating them if he becomes prime minister at the next election. 

Asked where the Parthenon Sculptures would look better, Mr Mitsotakis told the  BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: ‘I think the answer is very clear. They do look better in the Acropolis Museum, a state-of-the-art museum that was built for that purpose.’

He went on to say he would be meeting both Sir Keir and Rishi Sunak in London this week, adding: ‘This is not in my mind an ownership question, this is a reunification argument, where can you best appreciate what is essentially one monument?

‘I mean, it’s as if I told you that you would cut the Mona Lisa in half, and you will have half of it at the Louvre and half of it at the British Museum, do you think your viewers would appreciate the beauty of the painting in such a way?

Kyriakos Mitsotakis stepped into the row over whether the 2,500-year-old friezes, also known as the Parthenon Sculptures, should be removed from the British Museum.

Last week it was reported that labour leader Sir Keir Starmer would be open to repatriating them if he becomes prime minister at the next election.

Mr Mitsotakis told the BBC ‘s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: ‘It’s as if I told you that you would cut the Mona Lisa in half, and you will have half of it at the Louvre and half of it at the British Museum, do you think your viewers would appreciate the beauty of the painting in such a way?’

Greece has long demanded the return of the ancient art, which was removed from the Parthenon 200 years ago when Greece was under Ottoman control.

‘Well, this is exactly what happened with the Parthenon sculptures and that is why we keep lobbying for a deal that would essentially be a partnership between Greece and the British Museum but would allow us to return the sculptures to Greece and have people appreciate them in their original setting.’

The Elgin Marbles were made between 447BC and 432BC and decorated the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens.

Lord Elgin removed about half of the remaining sculptures from the ruins of the Parthenon between 1801 and 1805, before they entered the British Museum.

These have since been the subject of a 200-year-old dispute over ownership between Athens and London.

Greek newspaper Ta Nea has quoted Labour officials as saying Sir Keir is open to ‘finding a legal formula that will allow for the eventual return of the Marbles’ to Athens.

As reported by The Times, the same sources said Sir Keir will not raise the issue publicly before the general election for fear of dissuading Conservative voters.

But Labour pushed back against the Greek media report and said it had no plans to change legislation which prevents the removal of objects from the British Museum apart from in certain circumstances.

Since taking on his role at the British Museum, Mr Osborne has clashed with the Government over his exploration of plans for the artefacts to potentially return to Greece as part of a loan or exchange deal. 

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