"Decolonizing Museums and the Case of the ‘Elgin Marbles’: Exceptionalism vs Solidarity" with Elizabeth Marlowe

The so-called Elgin Marbles comprise a large group of sculptures and reliefs that were removed from the Parthenon temple in Athens by a British lord in the early 19th century, and today reside in the British Museum. Greece has been actively seeking their return since the 1980s. This talk will focus on long-standing assertions about the alleged “exceptionalism” of the Parthenon sculptures, and whether such arguments help or harm the larger cause of the decolonization of museums. Elizabeth Marlowe, (Colgate University) will speak as part of the “Black Classicism Moving Forward: Art and Institutions” series.