Leading international scholars join Greek ministers to discuss stolen Parthenon Sculptures
New York – April 8, 2022 – The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University will convene international art law practitioners, distinguished scholars and a Greek delegation on April 28 for “The Parthenon Marbles Case and the Universal Museum Myth: Policies and Politics,” a symposium on cultural property ownership. The event will focus primarily on the cultural property dispute between Greece and Great Britain over the Parthenon Sculptures, which were taken to London in the early 1800s by the British ambassador Lord Elgin.
Professor of Law and former dean of Cardozo David Rudenstine will present his historical research into the case, which found that contrary to the conventional narrative, there is no evidence that establishes that Ottoman officials gave Lord Elgin prior written permission to remove the Parthenon Sculptures from Greece—and that the British Museum misrepresents the facts in the case to this day.
The British Museum declined participation in this symposium.
Guests and panelists will include Lina Mendoni, Greece’s Minister of Culture and Sports; Dimitrios Pandermalis, President of the Acropolis Museum; Kris Tytgat, President of the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures; Joe Baker, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Lenape Center; Patty Gerstenblith, DePaul University law professor and former chair of the U.S. Department of State’s Cultural Property Advisory Committee under President Obama; and other internationally recognized professors and attorneys with expertise in art history, cultural property, and human rights.
The symposium will begin with welcoming remarks by Cardozo’s Dean Melanie Leslie, followed by four panels and addresses by Pandermalis and Mendoni. The panels, led by art law practitioners, legal scholars and advocates, each tackle a different issue related to cultural property ownership:
- Panel 1: “History Surrounding the Removal of the Sculptures and the U.K. Purchase of Elgin's Collection,” Moderated by Samantha Anderson, Director of Legal Services, Art Intelligence Global Panelists include:
- Elena Korka: Honorary Director General of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage, Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports
- David Rudenstine: Professor, Cardozo School of Law
- Giovanna Bellesia: Department Chair of Italian and German Studies, Smith College
- Panel 2: “Should the British Museum Return the Collection to Athens?” Moderated by Michael McCullough, Partner, Pearlstein McCullough LLPPanelists include:
- Irini Stamatoudi: Professor, University of Nicosia
- Elizabeth Marlowe: Professor, Colgate University
- Kris Tytgat: President, International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures
- Panel 3: “The Universal Museum Myth,” Moderated by Irini Stamatoudi, Professor, University of Nicosia
- Patty Gerstenblith: Professor, DePaul College of Law
- Elena Korka: Honorary Director General of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage, Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports
- Joe Baker: Co-Founder and Executive Director, Lenape Center
- Panel 4: “Cultural Property & International Human Rights Trends,” Moderated by Sandy Cobden, Deputy General Counsel, Pactiv Evergreen Inc.
- Lawrence Kaye: Managing Member, Kaye Spiegler PLLC
- Leila Amineddoleh: Founder, Amineddoleh & Associates LLC
- Kristen Carpenter: Professor of Law, University of Colorado
The organizers of the symposium are Professor Irini Stamatoudi of the University of Nicosia, Elena Korka, Honorary Director General of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage at the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports, and David Rudenstine of Cardozo School of Law.
The day-long conference is sponsored by the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal, the Benjamin B. Ferencz Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic, and the FAME Center. It will be held at the Jacob Burns Moot Courtroom at the Cardozo School of Law for students and faculty, with a live stream also available for the public.
Click here to register to attend the symposium.
About Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law is the law school of Yeshiva University. The school has three fundamental and mutually reinforcing goals: to provide a fully rounded and rigorous legal education that blends theoretical and practical approaches; to create and sustain an intellectual environment that values and supports imaginative and groundbreaking scholarship; and to strengthen society as a whole by shaping solutions to the pressing legal problems of the day.
###