Elgin Marbles Repatriation Debate and Art Market Anomalies

Judith Benhamou-Huet's chronicle examines the contested ownership of the Parthenon Marbles and peculiarities in the art market. In June 2009, the New Acropolis Museum in Athens, designed by Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi, opened with a dedicated space for the missing Parthenon friezes, currently held by the British Museum. The friezes were removed in the early 19th century by Lord Elgin, then British ambassador to Constantinople, who sold them to the British Museum for £36,000. Greek authorities demand their return, while British officials argue the marbles are freely accessible in one of the world's most visited museums. The article also highlights a 17th-century Italian painting of unknown authorship, estimated at €2,000 at Hôtel Drouot in Paris on July 1, 2009, despite its significant size (31.8 x 91 cm). Benhamou-Huet critiques Sarah Thornton's book 'Seven Days in the Art World' for inaccuracies, such as mislocating the Saatchi Gallery opposite Westminster Abbey (closed since 2005) and overstating commercial success of Turner Prize artists. Thornton's book, while analytically sharp, is deemed outdated, describing a pre-crisis frenzy of speculation. The author questions the sociological value of descriptions like a professor's Agnès b. skirt.