British Museum Chair Wants Parthenon Marbles to Split Time Between London and Athens

The chair of the British Museum in London says the Parthenon Marbles should spend time in both London and Athens, and he believes a sharing deal can be done before his tenure ends in three years. George Osborne, chair of the museum's board of trustees, made the case in an interview with Kathimerini, the Greek newspaper. His remarks were reported by The Art Newspaper on 15 October 2026. It is the latest push in a dispute that has run for decades.

Osborne said the board would support a rotation arrangement, with the sculptures spending periods in each city. "We are clear that they [the Marbles] came here legitimately," he said, while adding he would like them also to spend some time in Athens. He told Kathimerini he would "like to reach an agreement" on alternating display in the two capitals.

Athens says no. Authorities in Athens have long rejected temporary loan deals that require recognition of the museum's legal claim, and have insisted on permanent repatriation. The Telegraph in London reported that Greek officials called the rotating-loan proposal a "no-go," as cited by The Art Newspaper.

The legal positions leave little room to move. The museum says the British Museum Act 1963, the statute that controls what it can remove from its collection, prevents a permanent return. That law is often cited in London when restitution claims are raised. Athens argues the sculptures were taken illegally while Greece was under Ottoman Turkish occupation, as reported by the Associated Press.

Talk of a compromise is not new. The museum said in January 2023 that it was holding "constructive discussions" with Greece, according to Reuters. Two months later campaigners told Reuters a return could be arranged even without agreement on who owns the works. Osborne said in 2022 that "there is a deal to be done" on sharing, and he told Bloomberg on 14 October 2026 that Greece and the United Kingdom can reach a deal if both sides are willing to compromise.

For visitors, this means the fight is about access as much as ownership. One set of sculptures. Two cities that want them on view. No objects have moved. Osborne is betting that movement, rather than a final ruling on title, can break the deadlock.