Event seated guests near Parthenon marbles, which Greece wants returned, and raised £2.5m for museum
The British Museum has been accused of “provocative indifference” and “covering Greek culture in the shade of Barbie” by officials in Greece after it hosted a star-studded fundraising gala that included guests seated near the Parthenon marbles.
Days after Mick Jagger, Naomi Campbell, Alexa Chung, Miuccia Prada, Manolo Blahnik, Kristin Scott Thomas and dozens of other celebrities and billionaires paid £2,000 each to attend the museum’s inaugural pink ball, Greek officials were still incandescent over an event described as offensive by the country’s cultural minister.
Lina Mendoni said the museum was guilty of “provocative indifference” to treasures that embodied the high point of classical western art. Images of tables laden with trappings of a lavish meal steps away from the antiquities also raised ethical questions, she railed.
“The safety, integrity and ethics of the monuments should be the main concern of the British Museum … once again it is exhibiting provocative indifference,” she said.
