“There are a lot of historical artefacts that should be returned to their original owners,” one individual was quoted as saying to Janet Suzman, chair of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures, in a recent Art Newspaper article. “But none [is] more important than the Parthenon Marbles.”
Are these the words of a learned art historian—or of George Clooney? If you guessed the latter, you’d actually be correct: The repatriation of this famed component of Greek antiquities is a topic that Clooney has long felt passionately about. According to the outlet, which reported the news earlier this week, Clooney first voiced a similar opinion in 2014 while in Berlin. The timing of that example is important. For starters, it was just as the actor was promoting his film Monuments Men, which centers on the efforts of Allied forces to return art stolen by the Nazis to their rightful owners.
One part of the Elgin Marbles, which were originally part of the Greek Parthenon in Athens. They remain on display at the British Museum in London today.
Photo: Getty ImagesParticipation in that film project would likely be enough to whet anyone’s appetite when it comes to matters of artistic provenance. But Clooney had another reason to be well versed on the topic: His wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, was at the time advising the Greek government on how best to reclaim the marbles. Ultimately, however, the government did not pursue her counsel to take up the matter in British courts.
Flash-forward to the present day, and it appears that George Clooney is taking considerable steps of his own to rectify what many see as an enduring example of Great Britain’s colonialist past. (The aforementioned quote, though picked up by various outlets, was actually first shared earlier this year as part of a letter to an assemblage of professors and scholars.) Perhaps then, considering that the year is still young, there will be plenty more time for Clooney art-advocacy action on the horizon.
