Houston's Menil is returning holy artworks to Cyprus

HOUSTON CHRONICLE ^ | Saturday, September 24, 2011 | By DOUGLAS BRITT

[urtax$@work]

For more than two decades, Houston has been home to a large pair of restored 13th-century Byzantine frescoes that Menil Collection founder Dominique de Menil purchased from art thieves in 1984.

Now the Menil is working to return them to their rightful owner, the Holy Archbishopric of Cyprus.

While that seemingly recalls recent decisions by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and others to return priceless artworks that improperly left their countries of origin, there's a difference: Neither de Menil nor the museum she founded ever claimed to own the frescoes....

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[urtax$@work]

This has religious, artistic , and political implications. So far, i have not found any other info behind the decision to do this. FReeper comments and insights are appreciated about this. If you have ever seen the exhibit- it is well worth it.

At the exhibit, they explain that the frescos were rescued from 'neglect' in a remote area of Cyprus. Was it neglect or malice-of-muslims ?? If i understand the article the original site is currently an area of 'occupied' Cyprus.

[chaosagent]

So what's the over and under on how long they'll last over there before they're desecrated or destroyed?

I'll take 6 months +- 1 month.

[urtax$@work]

Decision still pending

Katsaros said the church will work with the Cypriot Department of Antiquities to place the frescoes "in a proper environment in the free part of Cyprus" with the goal of eventually returning them to the original chapel "in their holy sacred land on the day of its liberation."

so i guess there is an eventual invasion by Cyprus to recapture lands

The archbishopric's building complex in Nicosia includes a Byzantine Museum that Helfenstein said draws tourists and includes a number of recovered artworks that had been looted from the northern, occupied part of Cyprus.

so i guess this is the free part of Cyprus...

However, Katsaros said no decision about the frescoes' placement has been made beyond pledges from the church and the Cyprus government to "cooperate and do their best in order to show the magnitude of those treasures."

i've heard that phrase "do their best" to mean something other than .....best

[urtax$@work]

bttt