The British Museum’s director is adept at forging links where politicians have failed. As Russia’s Hermitage gains from his latest negotiations over the Parthenon marbles, one BBC journalist recalls watching past triumphs unfoldNeil MacGregor chose his words with characteristic care and wit as he unveiled the river god Ilissos in the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, alongside an icy river Neva. “The more chilly the politics between governments, the more important the relationship between museums,” he argued, anticipating accusations that he was handing Vladimir Putin a propaganda gift in marble.The loan of an ancient Greek figure from the Parthenon (aka Elgin) marbles collection – the first time any part of the 2,500-year-old sculptures has left the British Museum – was indeed a gift, but one intended to celebrate the 250th birthday of a close relative. Opening five years apart in the mid-18th century, the British Museum and the Hermitage are “sisters, almost twins”, MacGregor explained. Continue reading...
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