Abstract
The repatriation of the Benin Bronzes is a multifaceted historical, social, and political issue in the art world. The artifacts contain the pre-colonial history of the Edo people in the form of statues, plaques, and ornamental figures, which the British Empire looted following the Benin Massacre of 1897. Since 1897, the history and culture of the Edo people continue to fill museum collections as spoils of war. The ongoing effort to repatriate the Bronzes calls attention to the lasting impact of colonialism on museums as institutions and their societal role. As purveyors of culture, should museums be required to evolve with the rest of society? The case could be made that such changes are essential to a museum’s authenticity. Museums’ responsibilities must go beyond the need to revise descriptive plaques and reconfigure displays. Furthermore, the inability of the Edo people to claim proprietary rights to the Benin Bronzes exposes a system that perpetuates cultural violence. Existing cultural property laws focus on antiquities and objects displaced during World War II, but a sizable grey area surrounds colonial-era theft and damage. Today’s cultural property laws allow for a continued lack of accountability amongst museums and governments holding artifacts looted during colonialism. Museums and cultural property laws must address this grey area to achieve restitution. The case for the repatriation of the Benin Bronzes underscores the importance of cultural restitution and the amendment of cultural property laws to the decolonization of art history.
Presenters
Jennifer CouryStudent, Art History and Economics, Marist College, New York, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
Museums, Social Institutions, Restitution, Repatriation, Decolonization, Colonialism, Cultural Heritage
