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Acropolis Museum delayed
Art in America, June-July, 2004 by Stephanie Cash
Dashing any hope that the Elgin Marbles would be returned to Greece for the Olympics, the Greek government recently announced that the Acropolis Museum, designed by Bernard Tschumi, would not be ready in time for the August games. Construction of the museum has been seriously delayed by legal actions taken by nearby residents and others who claim that work on the site would destroy ancient artifacts and structures not yet uncovered. Tschumi's design calls for a 250,000-square-foot elevated structure that would provide views of and access to the ruins below. Though the architect expressed doubts last year that the museum would be ready in time, it was hoped that at least a temporary space would be complete [see "Front Page," May '03]. The British government has remained steadfast in its refusal to return the marbles.
Making matters worse, a lawsuit was filed in March charging nearly all the former officials involved in the $115-million project, as well as the judges who chose the plan and Tschumi himself, with breach of duty for having approved the project. That suit was thrown out by Greece's highest court, and construction on the museum is continuing, though a new completion date remains uncertain. The political quagmire followed general elections, after which several new government officials unsympathetic to the project began their terms. The new deputy minister of culture, Petros Tatoulis, while still a member of the opposition party, filed a complaint protesting museum construction. At the time, then culture minister Evangelos Venizelos accused him of undermining the project. Tatoulis has since assured the local press that the museum will be built.
News of the museum's delay was an embarrassing blow to the country, which is also struggling to complete construction on major Olympic infrastructure and venues, some of which are seriously over budget. The Parthenon itself is undergoing major conservation work and will be partially hidden by scaffolding during the Games, and the Temple of Athena Nike, which has been taken apart for conservation, will be only half restored by August.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Brant Publications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
