Bayeux Tapestry deal could pave way for Parthenon marbles loan, says British Museum head
Institution will ‘always remain open for dialogue’ around contested artworks, says Nicholas Cullinan
The deal that brought the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK could pave the way for a loan of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece, the director of the British Museum has said, reviving the prospect that one of the world’s thorniest arts disputes could finally be resolved.
Nicholas Cullinan told the FT that the return of the near-1,000-year-old embroidery, which will go on display on September 10 after a deal between Britain and France, was “a very compelling example of international partnership” that pointed to the success of “reciprocal exchange”.
“Every example of a relationship or cultural history is different, so there isn’t a cookie-cutter template,” Cullinan said in an interview.
“That said, you would hope the fact that it took several goes to pull off the Bayeux Tapestry loan might provide a glimmer of possibility to move forward [on the sculptures].”
“I would hope that some tangible progress can happen,” he added, of the 2,500-year-old carvings. “It would be a wonderful thing.”
The sculptures, often known as the Elgin Marbles after the Scottish aristocrat who brought them to Britain from the Acropolis in Athens in the early 19th century, have long been contested.
Greece made its first formal request for the permanent return of the sculptures in 1983, and talks picked up after former Conservative chancellor George Osborne became chair of the British Museum in 2021.
As prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer made clear he would not block a loan accord, under which parts of the frieze would be shipped to Athens for specific periods while significant Greek antiquities were shown in London, if the two sides could reach agreement. But Greece has insisted on ownership.
His successor Andy Burnham told the FT this week that the future of the sculptures was a matter for the British Museum, despite previously calling for the artefacts to be returned to Greece permanently.
Approximately 1,630 other objects from the museum’s 8mn-strong collection were on long-term loan nationally last year, and Cullinan said the museum would “always remain open for dialogue” around the sculptures, acquired in 1816.
But the former head of the National Portrait Gallery and Tate curator warned of “unintended consequences” if the British Museum Act 1963 were amended to allow artefacts in its possession to be removed.
“As a museum person, I think you’re always thinking about being a temporary custodian of these objects . . . you never know how future generations will perceive what you’ve done,” he said.
“I’m glad that, when the pandemic began in 2020, museums couldn’t begin a fire sale of their collections, because that definitely would have happened if the law had not prevented de-accession.”
Three years ago, revelations of the theft of about 2,000 items including ancient semi-precious stones rocked the museum’s reputation and prompted the exit of its previous chief.
Now Cullinan, 48, and his team see the Bayeux Tapestry as a coup of cultural diplomacy that should draw positive international attention.
The display of the 70-metre fabric depiction of the Norman Conquest, thought to have been made by nuns in England in the 11th century, will be the biggest and most expensive exhibition in the institution’s 273-year history.
Running until next July, the show will coincide with the transfer of treasures from the Sutton Hoo burial ship and the Lewis Chessmen to France.
Before his death in June, the painter David Hockney accused the museum of “vanity” in moving the tapestry from Bayeux, echoing concerns voiced by some in the French art establishment about its fragility.
Cullinan said the tapestry was in “fantastic condition” and would not have travelled — via the Channel Tunnel last month, under police escort — if “people with intimate knowledge and expertise” had “raised a flag”.
Other critics have hit out at entry prices to the exhibition, which is being sponsored by hedge fund billionaire Igor Tulchinsky in a deal valued at £5mn.
A standard adult ticket costs £33, while under-16s go free. The first allocation sold out in just over a day last month, yielding more than £2.5mn.
Cullinan said the museum had “thought long and hard” about prices and hoped to turn a profit on the exhibition.
“We could probably have tried to accommodate more visitors, but quality has been as important as quantity,” he said.
The institution, which this month celebrated the 20th anniversary of its international training programme for cultural heritage professionals, welcomed 6.5mn visitors last year, most from overseas. It hopes to draw more with a new entrance pavilion and garden from next spring.
Asked about ministers’ proposal to charge overseas tourists to access venues such as his, Cullinan said ending the policy of free admission was “not something to be done lightly”.
The museum raised £2.5mn through its inaugural ball last October. It is now stepping up efforts to attract donors to its £1bn redevelopment of the Western Range galleries, which is set to last about a decade.
During the renovation, some artefacts housed in the complex network of 10 separate buildings, which include the Parthenon Sculptures, “may be loaned as part of our commitment to increase national and international loans”, the museum has said.
Detailed designs for the project, led by Beirut-born architect Lina Ghotmeh, would become public by 2028, Cullinan said, with a bigger “master plan” aiming to create space for “entire sections of the collection, like south-east Asia and the Caribbean” never exhibited before.
A major gift towards the renovation would be announced in the autumn, and “conversations are happening” about donations in the region of £150mn, which would match record-breaking sums secured by the National Gallery in 2025, he added.
“The transformation of this building is a generational change, and it brings huge potential to get more of the collection out in the world and rethink the role of a universal museum,” Cullinan said.
“It’s a big, collective endeavour, and it’s not an overnight thing. We’re in the limbering-up phase.”