British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles
Encyclopedia
The British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles (BCRPM) is a group of British people who support the return of the Parthenon (Elgin)
marbles to Athens
, Greece
.
The inspiration for the campaign came from Melina Mercouri
, who strongly argued for the restitution of the marbles. James Cubitt
, a British architect, decided to start a campaign and the result was the present Committee.
BCRPM is based in London
and was set up in 1983 by Robert Browning (Byzantinist)
, Emeritus Professor of Greek
at the University of London
and Eleni Cubitt
, film maker and wife of James Cubitt
.
The first members who joined the Committee were:
In 2005, based on discussions with the public, the committee changed its name from British Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles to British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, as it was felt that out of all the arguments surrounding the Elgin Marbles
, that of reunifying two separated collections was perceived by many people as the most compelling.
In 2009 BCRPM's committee consists of:
Current and past supporters of the Committee include:
BCRPM states that it has received support from the actors:
The sponsors of the Committee, who financed the campaign, include:
Elgin Marbles
The Parthenon Marbles, forming a part of the collection known as the Elgin Marbles , are a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures , inscriptions and architectural members that originally were part of the Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis of Athens...
marbles to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
The inspiration for the campaign came from Melina Mercouri
Melina Mercouri
Melina Mercouri , born as Maria Amalia Mercouri was a Greek actress, singer and politician.As an actress she made her film debut in Stella and met international success with her performances in Never on Sunday, Phaedra, Topkapi and Promise at Dawn...
, who strongly argued for the restitution of the marbles. James Cubitt
James Cubitt
James Cubitt was a Victorian church architect specialising in building non-conformist chapels. He was the son of a Baptist minister, from Norfolk who taught at Spurgeon's Pastor's College in South Norwood Hill — then on the outskirts of London.Cubitt was articled to the firm of Isaac Charles...
, a British architect, decided to start a campaign and the result was the present Committee.
BCRPM is based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and was set up in 1983 by Robert Browning (Byzantinist)
Robert Browning (Byzantinist)
Robert Browning was a Scottish Byzantinist and university professor.-Early career:Browning was born in Glasgow in 1914. He attended Kelvinside Academy in that city. He entered the Humanities department of Glasgow University in 1931, graduating in 1935...
, Emeritus Professor of Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
and Eleni Cubitt
Eleni Cubitt
Eleni Cubitt is a film maker born in Greece. Her most recent film was The War That Never Ends in 1991 for which she was the executive producer. Under the name of Eleni Collard, she was executive producer for the 1968 Jean-Luc Godard film Sympathy for the Devil...
, film maker and wife of James Cubitt
James Cubitt
James Cubitt was a Victorian church architect specialising in building non-conformist chapels. He was the son of a Baptist minister, from Norfolk who taught at Spurgeon's Pastor's College in South Norwood Hill — then on the outskirts of London.Cubitt was articled to the firm of Isaac Charles...
.
The first members who joined the Committee were:
- Christopher PriceChristopher Price (UK politician)Christopher Price is a former Labour politician in the United Kingdom.Price was educated at Leeds Grammar School and The Queen's College, Oxford where he was secretary of the Labour Club in 1953...
, journalist, broadcaster, former MP - Graham BinnsGraham BinnsMajor General Graham John Binns CBE DSO MC is a retired British Army officer. Binns served as General Officer Commanding 1st Armoured Division and then Commandant Joint Services Command and Staff College. He had previously commanded the 7th Armoured Brigade during Operation Telic 1 when they took...
, broadcaster administrator - Brian ClarkBrian ClarkBrian Clark is one of the survivors of the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. A Canadian, Clark worked for the international brokerage firm Euro Brokers, which lost 61 employees that day, nearly a fifth of its New York branch....
, playwright - Sir Michael DummettMichael DummettSir Michael Anthony Eardley Dummett FBA D.Litt is a British philosopher. He was, until 1992, Wykeham Professor of Logic at the University of Oxford...
, professor - W. G. (George) ForrestGeorge Forrest (historian)William George Grieve Forrest, MA , known as George Forrest, was Wykeham Professor of Ancient History in the University of Oxford.-Early life and education:...
, professor - John GouldJohn GouldJohn Gould was an English ornithologist and bird artist. The Gould League in Australia was named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
, professor
In 2005, based on discussions with the public, the committee changed its name from British Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles to British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, as it was felt that out of all the arguments surrounding the Elgin Marbles
Elgin Marbles
The Parthenon Marbles, forming a part of the collection known as the Elgin Marbles , are a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures , inscriptions and architectural members that originally were part of the Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis of Athens...
, that of reunifying two separated collections was perceived by many people as the most compelling.
In 2009 BCRPM's committee consists of:
- Professor Anthony Snodgrass (chairman)
- Mr Chris PriceChristopher Price (UK politician)Christopher Price is a former Labour politician in the United Kingdom.Price was educated at Leeds Grammar School and The Queen's College, Oxford where he was secretary of the Labour Club in 1953...
(deputy chairman) - Mr Eleni CubittEleni CubittEleni Cubitt is a film maker born in Greece. Her most recent film was The War That Never Ends in 1991 for which she was the executive producer. Under the name of Eleni Collard, she was executive producer for the 1968 Jean-Luc Godard film Sympathy for the Devil...
Secretary - Mr George BizosGeorge BizosGeorge Bizos is a distinguished human rights advocate who campaigned against apartheid in South Africa, most notably during the Rivonia Trial.-Early life:...
Lawyer - Mr Tom Flynn Communications Director
- Ms Marlen Taffarello, PR
- Professor A A M Bryer, scholar
- Professor Paul CartledgePaul CartledgePaul Anthony Cartledge is the first A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at Cambridge University, having previously held a personal chair in Greek History at Cambridge....
, scholar - Professor Judith HerrinJudith HerrinJudith Herrin is Emeritus Professor of Late Antique and Byzantine Studies at King's College London. She studied history at the University of Cambridge and did her PhD at the University of Birmingham. She trained in Paris and Munich, worked as an archaeologist with the and on the site of...
, scholar - Mr Keith Hunter OBE
Current and past supporters of the Committee include:
- Sir John MortimerJohn MortimerSir John Clifford Mortimer, CBE, QC was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author.-Early life:...
- Ted, Baron WillisTed WillisEdward Henry Willis, Baron Willis , commonly known as Ted Willis, was a British television dramatist who was also politically active in support of the Labour Party.-Political life:...
- C.M. Woodhouse, 5th Baron Terrington, soldier, scholar, MP
- Frederick, 4th Baron PonsonbyFrederick Ponsonby, 4th Baron Ponsonby of ShulbredeFrederick Matthew Thomas Ponsonby, 4th Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede is a British peer and Labour politician.-Life:He succeed his father in 1990. He sits for Labour and is a regular contributor in debates. He lost his seat in the House of Lords after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999...
, politician - Janet SuzmanJanet SuzmanDame Janet Suzman, DBE is a South African-born-British actress and director.-Early life:Janet Suzman was born in Johannesburg to a Jewish family, the daughter of Betty and Saul Suzman, a wealthy importer of tobacco....
- Spike MilliganSpike MilliganTerence Alan Patrick Seán "Spike" Milligan Hon. KBE was a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, soldier and actor. His early life was spent in India, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom. He became an Irish citizen in 1962 after the...
BCRPM states that it has received support from the actors:
- Judi DenchJudi DenchDame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
- Vanessa RedgraveVanessa RedgraveVanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...
- Ian McKellenIan McKellenSir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
- Fiona ShawFiona ShawFiona Shaw, CBE is an Irish actress and theatre director. Although to international audiences she is probably most familiar for her minor role as Petunia Dursley in the Harry Potter films, she is an accomplished classical actress...
The sponsors of the Committee, who financed the campaign, include:
- Nana MouskouriNana MouskouriNana Mouskouri , born Ioánna Moúschouri on October 13, 1934, in Chania, Crete, Greece, is a Greek singer who has sold about 300 million records worldwide in a career spanning over five decades, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She was known as Nána to her friends and...
(Greek) - Mr. John Polyzoides (Greek)
See also
- Marbles ReunitedMarbles ReunitedMarbles Reunited : Friends of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles is a campaign group, governed by charter & funded by donations from members and supporters, affiliated to the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles which lobbies and raises...
- International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon SculpturesInternational Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon SculpturesThe International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures is a campaign group, which joins together various organizations around the world whose primary aim is to bring about the reunification of all the surviving Parthenon Sculptures to Athens, Greece.The Association was...
- ParthenonParthenonThe Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...