A number of European museums and collectors have returned art and artifacts to their countries of origin this week, as the European art world takes a fresh look at the provenances of its collections.
A collection of bronze statues from Benin at Paris’ Quai Branly museum that were looted from Abomey Palace by French forces in 1892 will be returned to Nigeria later this week in a ceremony headed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has supported the repatriation of African artifacts in France for years.
Cambridge University’s Jesus College held a ceremony Wednesday to return to Nigeria a bronze statue of a rooster that was taken from Benin by British troops in 1897 and was displayed in the dining gall displayed in the dining hall until 2016, when students protested to demand it be returned.
According to an estimate in a 2018 report commissioned by the French government, 90% of Africa’s material cultural heritage is now located in Western countries in major museum collections.
However not all cultural institutions are rushing to return artifacts to their country of origin. The British Museum in London has refused to repatriate some of its most notable items and biggest visitor draws, including the famous Rosetta Stone, which was found in Egypt by French soldiers during the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt. The museum has stated its intention to hold on the artifact.
For decades, Egypt has also called for the return of the iconic bust of ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti from the Neues Museum in Berlin, claiming it was illegally smuggled out of the country by a German archaeologist in 1913, which German authorities deny.
The push for repatriation of art and artifacts with questionable histories has become more widespread in recent years, which experts attribute to advances in research techniques, a rise in interest in art looted by Nazis during World War II and a renewed focus on the issue of racism and colonialism n the art world after worldwide Black Lives Matter kicked off last year.
source: forbes.com
