Exhibition “Shooting. Cycladic Treasures on the Way Back”, which is exhibiting 15 of the 161 priceless proto-Cycladic antiquities from the Leonard Stern Collection for the first time worldwide, was inaugurated tonight by the Prime Minister. Kyriakos Mitsotakisat the Museum of Cycladic Art.

“We are paving a walkable path for the repatriation of other valuable parts of our cultural heritage, sending a message to states, museums, organizations, collectors that this is a return, which is also the name of the exhibition that we will hold the opportunity to inaugurate soon, this is not only morally necessary, but also technically, legally feasible,” the Prime Minister said during his greeting.

“Greece is now the sole owner of the largest collection of antiquities that will ever return to our homeland,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “A realistic claim to our heritage is a central political commitment of our government that pervades all the activities of the relevant ministry,” he added.

“The millions of eyes that see these largely unknown works will end up being the best ambassadors of our culture and history,” the prime minister said, referring to the collection’s temporary exhibition at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET). ) he noted that his visitors “will be the first to realize that although these antiquities may be exhibited in New York, in the context of cultural exchange they are the property of Greece.”

“And I guess the more they learn about the uniqueness of the Cycladic culture, the more they will want to visit the cradle of the Cycladic culture, which is nothing more than the Museum of Cycladic Art, as well as the islands of the Aegean Sea, where this unique culture is developed,” added he.

“I would like to personally congratulate Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni and her colleagues who completed it quietly and efficiently,” the Prime Minister said during his speech.

Afterwards, Kyriakos Mitsotakis was guided through the exhibition halls by her curator, Dr. Ioannis Fappa.

The exhibition is the first step in the implementation of an agreement ratified by Parliament between the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Museum of Cycladic Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on 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 statuettes and five vases cover a wide chronological spectrum extending from the late Neolithic to the Proto-Cycladic period II.

Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni, President and CEO of the Museum of Cycladic Art Cassandra Marinopoulou and Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York Max Hollein also spoke at the event. Also present were Speaker of Parliament Konstantinos Tasoulas and Deputy Prime Minister Panagiotis Picrammenos.

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