For many decades, German and international museums have been reluctant to return stolen colonial art, but now one has the impression that things can’t go fast enough for some. From Washington to Oxford, museums and collections are announcing restitution, primarily in African countries, almost every week. By far the largest return is now coming from Berlin: The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation announced on Thursday the return of 512 artefacts to Nigeria, which have become known under the generic term Benin bronzes: works of art made of bronze, wood, iron and many other materials made from come from the Kingdom of Benin in present-day Nigeria.
“We cannot impose any conditions on the return.”
The British colonialists stole them in 1897, and as a result German collectors and museums acquired beautiful specimens. Nigeria had been demanding its return since 1931, and Germany refused for almost a century. Now Berlin is taking a huge step, all previous concerns about the future presentation in Nigeria have been overtaken by the changing times: “A process has developed in our society,” said Hermann Parzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, ” we cannot impose any conditions on returns.”
The colonial art that was looted, it now seems like a foreign body in many museums. The foundation is allowed to keep a third of the objects for ten years, some of which are to be exhibited in the Humboldt Forum from September, but in a completely different way than originally intended. A monumental show is to be turned into an exhibition of 40 artefacts, embedded in a lot of explanations. Nigerian artists and intellectuals talk about the context of the bronzes and the struggle to get them returned. Now, says Parzinger, the other museums are also challenged.