The exhibition “Return: Cycladic treasures on a return voyage”, through which 15 of the 161 priceless proto-Cycladic antiquities of the Leonard Stern collection are exhibited for the first time worldwide, was inaugurated pn Wednesday by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, at the Museum of Cycladic Art.

“We are carving out a passable path of repatriation for other valuable parts of our cultural heritage as well, sending a message to states, to museums, to organizations, to collectors, that this return, which is also the name of the exhibition that we will shortly have the opportunity to inaugurate, it is not only morally imperative, but it is also technically, legally feasible”, said the Prime Minister during his greeting.

Afterwards, Kyriakos Mitsotakis was guided around the exhibition premises by its curator, Dr. Ioannis Fappa.

A first step

The exhibition is the first step in the implementation of the ratified agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Museum of Cycladic Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York for the gradual return of the entire collection to Greece, while it is already the property and province of the Greek state.

The 15 archaeological treasures, ten figurines and five vases, cover a wide chronological spectrum that extends from the latest Neolithic to the Proto-Cycladic II period.

The exhibition opens its doors to the public on Thursday 3 November and will run until the end of October 2023.

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