Lord Elgin’s removal of the Parthenon sculptures at the beginning of the 19th century stirred up not only the British parliament, but poets such as Keats, who viewed their appearance in London as a transcendent experience, and Byron, who saw in them a shameful episode of plundering. Along with poets, painters such as Robert Benjamin Haydon and Giovanni Battista Lusieri framed how we view these marbles—either as sublime museum objects or trafficked loot. Romping through Ottoman Athens and Regency London with a cast of colorful characters, renowned poet and essayist A.E. Stallings explores how their words and images connect “Grecian grandeur” with “the last poor plunder of a bleeding land.”
This program is made possible by the generous support of the Getty Museum Villa Council, whose members are dedicated to advancing the study and appreciation of the ancient world.
