The heavy rains at the end of July in London left their mark on the Greek exhibits of the British Museum, as according to the website The Art Newspaper, they resulted in the inflow of water into the Greek galleries, which delayed in their reopening.
Specifically, seven Greek art galleries, including the Parthenon sculpture exhibition at the Museum, were expected to reopen to the public in late July, after a seven-month closure due to lockdown and maintenance work, according to museum sources.
However, the opening was canceled, as heavy rains on July 25 caused floods in central London and led to an influx of water into one of the museum’s Greek galleries, the same sources added.
A spokesman for the British Museum confirmed to The Art Newspaper that “there was some water entering one of the galleries” in July, adding that he could not identify the gallery. In addition, he could not clarify when the exhibitions would reopen to the public.
The poor condition of the places that host the Greek treasures has been pointed out many times in the past. In 2018, Greek channels broadcast images of water dripping in the gallery housing the sculptures, which were removed from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century.
(A fan placed in the Greek galleries to help with the humidity problems)
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In response, the museum said that “none of the sculptures have been damaged and the issue has been addressed”.
But for Culture Minister Lina Mendoni, the images showed that the British Museum does not take care of the Parthenon sculptures. “The abandonment seen in the images reinforces Greece’s legal request for the permanent return of the sculptures to Athens and their reunion with the Parthenon”, he said.
Greek galleries last opened to the public in December 2020. On December 16, 2020, the museum closed due to a lockdown. It reopened five months later, on May 17, 2021, but the maintenance works in the Greek galleries continued and they remained closed.
