Qatar Nude Statues
Qatar Nude Statues, Greece has pulled two ancient statues of nude males from an Olympic exhibition in Doha after Qatari authorities insisted covering the genitalia with black cloths.
A Culture Ministry official says exhibition organisers wanted to avoid scandalising female visitors.Greek Deputy Culture Minister Costas Tzavaras, who visited the Muslim country last month for the exhibition opening, objected, saying the works should be displayed as they were or shipped home.
The statues have already returned to Greece,' a Culture Ministry source told Agence-France-Presse, who added that, 'Organizers in Qatar wanted to cover up the statues’ members with black cloth. So they were never put on display, they went back into storage and returned on April 19.'
So the statues were returned to Athens last week, the official said on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak on the record.
Qatari officials could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday night.
The statues date to the 6th and 2nd centuries BC.
They were among nearly 600 antiquities brought from Greece for the 'Olympics - Past and Present' exhibition.
'Explore the sanctuary of Olympia, its role in ancient Greece, find out about Greek culture and the festival held in Olympia and discover the spirit of the Ancient Games,' reads the exhibition introduction on the Qatari museum authority website.
A Culture Ministry official says exhibition organisers wanted to avoid scandalising female visitors.Greek Deputy Culture Minister Costas Tzavaras, who visited the Muslim country last month for the exhibition opening, objected, saying the works should be displayed as they were or shipped home.
The statues have already returned to Greece,' a Culture Ministry source told Agence-France-Presse, who added that, 'Organizers in Qatar wanted to cover up the statues’ members with black cloth. So they were never put on display, they went back into storage and returned on April 19.'
So the statues were returned to Athens last week, the official said on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak on the record.
Qatari officials could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday night.
The statues date to the 6th and 2nd centuries BC.
They were among nearly 600 antiquities brought from Greece for the 'Olympics - Past and Present' exhibition.
'Explore the sanctuary of Olympia, its role in ancient Greece, find out about Greek culture and the festival held in Olympia and discover the spirit of the Ancient Games,' reads the exhibition introduction on the Qatari museum authority website.
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