For over two centuries, one of the world’s most iconic architectural families has been forcefully torn apart. The Caryatids, the six magnificent marble maidens sculpted in the 5th century BC, originally stood together as unified pillars of the Erechtheion temple on the Athenian Acropolis. They survived wars, empires, and disasters as a single cultural monument. However, in the early 19th century, British diplomat Lord Elgin dismantled and removed one of the Caryatids, shipping her to London. Today, five sisters stand together in the Acropolis Museum in Athens, while the sixth missing sister sits isolated thousands of miles away in the British Museum.
In Athens, an empty pedestal is left vacant next to the five maidens, a heartbreaking visual reminder of a family divided and a monument incomplete.

Why It Matters Now:
 A Caryatid is not a standalone statue; she is an architectural column designed to be viewed alongside her sisters. Separating them destroys the integrity of the artwork.
The statue was taken under Ottoman occupation without the consent of the Greek people. Keeping her in London perpetuates an outdated era of imperial plunder.
The British Museum long argued that Greece lacked a safe place to house the marbles. The opening of the world-class Acropolis Museum in 2009 completely permanently disproved this claim. The five sisters wait in a state-of-the-art facility, ready to welcome her home.

Our Demand:
We call upon the Trustees of the British Museum and the UK Government to immediately arrange for the permanent repatriation of the missing Caryatid to Greece. Art should unite humanity, not stand as a monument to historical theft. It is time to right this historical wrong, heal a broken masterpiece, and finally let the Caryatid sisters stand together again.

#TheMissingCaryatid