The Greek artefacts, that are 2,500 years outdated, have been the topic of controversy since they arrived in Britain within the early 19th century.
A London Vogue Week present held in the identical room because the Elgin Marbles on the British Museum has drawn the ire of the Greek authorities.
It comes after British designer Erdem Moralioglu confirmed his autumn and winter assortment at London's Duveen Gallery over the weekend.
Vogue journal described the present as a tribute to the “greatness” of American-born Greek opera singer Maria Callas. The fashions have been seen carrying outfits together with satin clothes, a pea inexperienced coat and pink slingbacks.
Nonetheless, GreeceItaly's Tradition Minister Lina Mendoni condemned the exhibition, saying it “belittles” the disputed sculptures, also referred to as the Parthenon Marbles.
she mentioned 2,500-year-old objectswhich have been introduced from Athens to Britain in the beginning of the 19th century, weren’t revered and used as “easy ornamental parts”.
Learn extra: What are the Elgin Marbles and the way did they find yourself within the British Museum?
Mendoni added: “The sculptures have been used as a backdrop, which belittles their common worth.
“Allow us to keep in mind that there are instances through which the sculptures within the Duveen Gallery have been broken, attributable to overcrowding and carelessness of tourists.”
The sculptures, principally created by the artist and architect Phidias, have been initially a part of a frieze that adorned the traditional Parthenon temple on the Acropolis within the Greek capital.
Mendoni additionally mentioned that the present bears no relation to “the values that Phidian's works convey and symbolize.”
He British museum He advised Sky Information he was “not making official feedback” on the dispute.
Nonetheless, a spokesperson mentioned the positioning operated as a retail venue exterior of opening hours and sometimes hosted occasions reminiscent of London Vogue Week reveals.
They mentioned respecting the museum's collections was “a major concern,” including: “We additionally imagine it will be significant that artists can proceed to answer the residing legacy that the Parthenon sculptures signify.”
It's not the primary time historical Greek artifacts have been used as a vogue backdrop.
A Dior photograph shoot happened on the Acropolis in 2021, recreating pictures taken on the location by the French dressmaker in 1951.
Nonetheless, the Greek authorities mentioned there was no comparability as a result of the Dior 2021 assortment had been “impressed by Greek antiquity”.
Mendoni added that the photograph session additionally happened “whereas the Acropolis was closed, with a restricted variety of fashions, with out the general public and solely with the presence of safety personnel and the archaeologists in cost.”
Learn extra:
British Museum: 'Practically 2,000' objects value hundreds of thousands stolen
A whole bunch of objects lacking from English museums
Why the controversy?
The artefacts, that are seen as symbols of freedom in Greece, have been the topic of controversy since they arrived in Britain within the early 19th century.
They have been expelled from Greece by Lord Elgin within the early 19th century, when he was British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
What’s the Elgin Marbles dispute about?
Athens has lengthy demanded the return of historic works, and actress and then-Greek Tradition Minister Melina Mercouri launched a high-profile marketing campaign to safe their return within the early 1980s.
In 2015, Greece dominated out taking any authorized motion in opposition to the UK, however diplomatic efforts and talks have continued lately, together with over the opportunity of the sculptures being briefly loaned to Athens.
However relations hit all-time low in November when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak canceled a gathering together with his Greek counterpart. amid a deepening dispute over the difficulty.