Matthew Taylor (architect)

Last updated

Matthew Taylor (born 18 July 1975 in Epsom) is an architect and campaigner for the return of the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum to Athens, Greece.

He is currently a member of the executive committee of Marbles Reunited [1] and the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures [2] and has made television and radio appearances speaking on behalf of these organisations. He maintains a blog known as "elginism" about the return of disputed items of cultural property to their country of origin.

Notes


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parthenon</span> Temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece

The Parthenon is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the goddess Athena. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of classical Greek art, and the Parthenon is considered an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece, democracy, and Western civilization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elgin Marbles</span> Ancient Greek sculptures held in London

The Elgin Marbles are a collection of Ancient Greek sculptures from the Parthenon and other structures from the Acropolis of Athens, removed from Ottoman Greece and shipped to Britain by agents of Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, and now held in the British Museum in London. The majority of the sculptures were created in the 5th century BC under the direction of sculptor and architect Phidias.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin</span> British nobleman and diplomat (1766–1841)

Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th Earl of Kincardine,, often known as Lord Elgin, was a Scottish nobleman, diplomat, and collector, known primarily for the controversial procurement of marble sculptures from the Parthenon and other structures on the Acropolis of Athens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Dobbs</span> British conservative politician and best-selling author

Michael John Dobbs, Baron Dobbs is a British Conservative politician and author, best known for his House of Cards trilogy.

The British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles (BCRPM) is a group of British people who support the return of the Parthenon (Elgin) marbles to Athens, Greece. Members include Dame Janet Suzman (chairperson) and professors Anthony Snodgrass (honorary president), Paul Cartledge (Vice-Chair), and Andrew Wallace-Hadrill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francesco Morosini</span> Doge of Venice (1619–1694)

Francesco Morosini was the Doge of Venice from 1688 to 1694, at the height of the Great Turkish War. He was one of the many Doges and generals produced by the Venetian noble Morosini family. He is said to have "dressed always in red from top to toe and never went into action without his cat beside him."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Lambert</span> British journalist and business executive

Sir Richard Peter Lambert is a British journalist and business executive. He served as director-general of the CBI, chancellor of the University of Warwick, editor of the Financial Times newspaper and chairman of the board of the British Museum.

David Hill is an English-born Australian business leader and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marbles Reunited</span>

Marbles Reunited: Friends of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles is a campaign group, governed by charter and funded by donations from members and supporters, which lobbies and raises awareness about the case for the return of the Parthenon (Elgin) marbles to Athens, Greece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acropolis Museum</span> Archaeological museum in Athens, Greece

The Acropolis Museum is an archaeological museum focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens. The museum was built to house every artifact found on the rock and on the surrounding slopes, from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece. The Acropolis Museum also lies over the ruins of part of Roman and early Byzantine Athens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greece–United Kingdom relations</span> Bilateral relations

Greek–British relations are foreign relations between Greece and the United Kingdom. Greece and the United Kingdom maintain excellent and cordial relations and consider each other an ally with the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, paying an official visit to London in 2021. Greece and the United Kingdom are both members of the United Nations, NATO and the Council of Europe.

Dorothy Louise Victoria Lobel King is an American author who lives and works in England.

The International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures is a campaign group, which joins various organizations around the world whose primary aim is to bring about the reunification of all the surviving Parthenon Sculptures to Athens, Greece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palermo Fragment</span> Marble fragment from the Acropolis of Athens, removed by Lord Elgin

The Palermo fragment, also known as Fagan slab from the name of the artist and British consul Robert Fagan who owned it, is a 2,500-year-old marble sculpture fragment of the foot and dress of the ancient Greek goddess Artemis.

Ian Dennis Jenkins was a Senior Curator at the British Museum who was an expert on ancient Greece and specialised in ancient Greek sculpture. Jenkins published a number of books and more than a hundred articles. He led the British Museum's excavations at Cnidus and was involved in the debate over the ownership of the Elgin Marbles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archaeological looting</span> Theft of artifacts from archaeological sites

Archaeological looting is the illicit removal of artifacts from an archaeological site. Such looting is the major source of artifacts for the antiquities market. Looting typically involves either the illegal exportation of artifacts from their country of origin or the domestic distribution of looted goods. Looting has been linked to the economic and political stability of the possessing nation, with levels of looting increasing during times of crisis, but it has been known to occur during peacetimes and some looters take part in the practice as a means of income, referred to as subsistence looting. However, looting is also endemic in so-called "archaeological countries" like Italy, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and other areas of the Mediterranean Basin, as well as many areas of Africa, South East Asia and Central and South America, which have a rich heritage of archaeological sites, a large proportion of which are still unknown to formal archaeological science. Many countries have antique looting laws which state that the removal of the cultural object without formal permission is illegal and considered theft. Looting is not only illegal; the practice may also threaten access to cultural heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartwig Fischer</span> German art historian and ex-museum director

Hartwig Fischer is a German art historian and museum director. From April 2016 until his resignation in August 2023 following a theft scandal, he was the director of the British Museum, the first non-British head of the museum since 1866. From 2012 to 2016, he was director of the Dresden State Art Collections.

<i>Imperial Spoils</i> 1987 book by Christopher Hitchens

Imperial Spoils: The Curious Case of the Elgin Marbles is a 1987 book by Christopher Hitchens on the controversy surrounding the removal by Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin of the Parthenon's sculptured friezes, and his subsequent sale of the Marbles to the British Museum. Hitchens examines the history of the artefacts and the question of whether they should be returned to Greece.

The Elgin Marbles is a 2006 book by American archaeologist Dorothy King about the 5th century BCE Classical Greek marble sculptures known as the Elgin Marbles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mentor (brig)</span>

The Mentor was a brig bought by Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, in order to transport antiquities from Athens. The cargo included a significant number of sculptures from the Parthenon.