Museology

A Manichean media war is, unfortunately, being waged over the fate of the Parthenon Marbles, which comprise a prominent display at the British Museum and for whom official Greece has lobbied for repatriation since the 1980s.

President Klaus Iohannis has launched, on Saturday, a call to all Romanians to attend the Night of Museums event as a way to rediscover the national patrimony and has addressed to Bucharesters especially the invitation to visit the Cotroceni National Museum on the grounds of the Cotroceni Palace, the seat of the presidency.

Photo credit: (c) Simion MECHNO / AGERPRES PHOTO

Nearly 30 museums, among which, as a first, the National Bank of Romania Museum, and 20 cultural organizations will be open on the Night of Museums 2015 in Bucharest, on Saturday night, ready to offer visitors a diverse programme of events that includes exhibitions, children's workshops, concerts, film projections, as well as ballet and pantomime shows.

Campaigners advocating the return of the Parthenon Marbles expressed disappointment on Thursday at a statement by Alternate Minister for Culture Nikos Xydakis suggesting that Athens would opt for political and diplomatic routes over a legal one to secure the priceless artifacts.

The Night of Museums will take place in Bulgaria on Saturday, with tens of museums and galleries opening their doors until midnight for visitors to explore their exhibitions for free.

The European Night of the Museums is held annually around the International Museum Day, which is marked on May 18.

In a letter to the Bulgarian authorities, the International Council on Monuments and Sties (ICOMOS) expressed its concern about the country's endangered cultural heritage.

More than a half million visitors from around the world toured the exhibition “Heaven and Earth. Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections”, which was hosted in three renowned US museums since October 2014.

The exhibition winds up on Sunday at the Art Institute of Chicago, after successful runs at the J. Paul Getty museum of Los Angeles and the National Gallery in Washington D.C.

The difficult task of preserving cultural heritage while at the same time giving it new life is being quietly achieved by people and organizations all around Greece, and three such initiatives were recognized by the European Commission and the Europa Nostra Pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage during its annual awards ceremony this year.

As armed groups in Syria and Iraq destroy priceless archaeological sites, European authorities and dealers are on high alert for smaller, looted artefacts put on sale to help finance the jihadists' war.
      

The National Palace Collection Museum in Istanbul, which is made up of a museum, storage and art gallery, is home to more than 50,000 rare objects from Dolmabahçe Palace as well as 19th-century mansions and summer palaces.