Last week, the Hellenic Parliament voted in favour of the agreement made by the Ministry of Culture with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens.
The Ministry of Culture stated in a press release that thanks to this agreement, 161 antiquities of the Cycladic Culture, of unique archaeological and scientific value, which were in a private collection, are being returned from New York to Greece. 161 masterpieces which include priceless figurines, vases, tools and jewelry.
Because of their type and dimensions, many of the artefacts in the collection are extremely rare globally and are unique examples of the art and techniques of the Cycladic Culture of the 3rd millennium BC, adding new data to scientific knowledge on the evolution of proto-Cycladic art during that era.
“In terms of the number of artefacts, this is the largest collection being repatriated without judicial involvement, strengthening Greece’s physiognomy as a major force in the matters of claiming and repatriating its cultural heritage and as a modern country with an extrovert museum policy which supports the international promotion of its culture, thus reflecting the values of a developed country with a well-known cultural background” concludes the announcement by the Ministry of Culture and Sports.