Actors George Clooney and Bill Murray, entered the Parthenon Marbles this week and told the press that Britain should hand the treasures back to Greece.
At a London press conference for their upcoming movie The Monuments Men – in which they play members of an Allied team tasked with retrieving artworks looted by the Nazis – both actors agreed that the treasures should be returned.
The classical sculptures were taken from the Parthenon in Athens by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century. They were acquired by parliament in 1816 and currently reside in the British Museum.
David Cameron has opposed calls for their return, but some of Hollywood’s big names have urged him to reconsider.
When asked about the Elgin Marbles, Murray said: “They’ve had a very nice stay here, certainly. London’s gotten crowded. There’s plenty of room back there in Greece.
“England can take the lead on this kind of thing – letting art go back where it came from.”
He added in deadpan style: “The Greeks are nothing but generous. They would loan it back once in a while.”
The subject first came up for Clooney at a Berlin Film Festival press conference over the weekend, when a Greek reporter pressed him on the subject.