Austria Museum discusses loaning Greece missing Parthenon Marble pieces

While the British Museum still refuses to return the stolen Parthenon Marbles, an Austrian museum is in negotiations with Greece for a loan of two of the pieces it holds, but not a return.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna has fragments from the Parthenon’s northern frieze, with no report on how they were acquired. The idea of a loan matches what the British Museum offered Greece.

“I am very pleased that technical discussions are taking place between the Kunsthistorische Museum and the Acropolis Museum on mutual loans of the Parthenon Frieze,” Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg told a news conference with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias.

“I am very hopeful that the talks can progress quickly, and the marbles will be on display in Athens,” said Schallenberg, as reported by the news agency Reuters. However, the terms of the deal were not disclosed, nor was it mentioned whether Greece would have to return them to Austria at some point.

Dendias said the talks were important because they took place after Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and British Museum Chairman George Osborne talked about reunification – if not return – of the treasures held in London.

The Parthenon Marbles were removed from the facade by a Scottish diplomat, Lord Elgin, in the early 19th century, who claimed to have permission to take them from the ruling Ottoman Empire – which didn’t own them.

After getting into financial difficulties, he sold them to the British Museum, which argued they were legally obtained and now owns them after British lawmakers at the time approved the purchase of the stolen artifacts.

“In 2022, the regional government of Sicily and, in 2023, Pope Francis returned part of the Parthenon sculptures to Greece, so this will be the third return, and this is of huge, huge importance to us,” Dendias said. “And beyond this, we believe that it will create a momentum that we could use in our discussions with London,” he added.