In 2020, the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art began researching the provenance of pieces in its collection that might have originated at the royal court of Benin. The court, located in modern-day Nigeria, was sieged and pillaged by British forces in 1897.
The Stanley Museum, along with over a dozen other museums across the country, started making arrangements with the Oba of Benin to return the two pieces of art to their rightful owners “as swiftly as possible.”
Earlier this month, the Stanley Museum of Art became the first North American museum to return the art stolen in the 19th century massacre.
In a July 15 ceremony with Stanley Museum and Benin Royal Court representatives at the Benin Palace, two pieces known as the Benin Bronzes were accepted by His Majesty Oba Ewuare II. The two objects, a brass plaque and an altar piece of a hen, had been part of the museum’s collection since 2001 and 1986, respectively.
Palace dignitaries of the Benin Royal Court carry the Benin Bronzes on July 15 during a restitution ceremony with the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art in Benin City, Nigeria. The Stanley Museum became the first museum in North America to repatriate the art originally stolen by the British in an 1897 massacre. (Omoregie Osakpolor/Stanley Museum of Art)
“The violence and loss associated with these objects can never be forgotten,” said Cory Gundlach, curator of African art at the Stanley Museum. “The museum used these objects to teach with the assumption that the open art market provides an equal opportunity for everyone to acquire anything, and with the conviction that American institutions are immune to colonial complicities specific to European nations that once occupied Africa.”
With hope for future collaborations and potential to host the Oba for a visit, the Stanley Museum is committed to acknowledging the tragic chapter in history while using it as a “catalyst for positive change,” Gundlach said
The museum began forging the path to restitution in 2020, when the provenance research position was created. Staffer and student researcher Mason Koelm traced the objects to their origin, sparking further research with Peju Layiwola, Mellon curatorial fellow and a leading scholar on African art restitution at the Stanley Museum.
After collaboration with Prince Aghatise Erediauwa of the Royal Benin Court, the museum’s collections committee and advisory board voted to formally de-accession the objects from the collection — making them works on loan from the Oba of Benin for the last four years.
This brass plaque, called "ama" in Edo language, depicts a high-ranking officer from the Benin Court, which is located in modern-day Nigeria. Shown in relief before the schematic rendering of flora, he wears a woven cap, beaded sash over the shoulder and leopard face pendant on the hip with a ceremonial sword in one hand. The Benin Bronze piece, held at the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art since 2001, was returned to the Royal Court in a July 15 ceremony. (Oba Ewuare II)
Layiwola, who was uncertain how committed the museum was to the cause, called the ceremony a “testament to their transparency.”
“Today, the Benin bronzes are forging a new kind of cordial relationship between the Stanley Museum of Art, the Benin Royal Palace and the National Commission for Museum and Monuments,” she said in a statement.
In 2019, the Association of Art Museum Directors began creating guidelines for looted African art in American museums. But while other museums pursued repatriation to the Nigerian government, the Stanley Museum took a different route under Gundlach’s belief that the Benin Bronzes belonged directly to the royal family.
In 2021, Layiwola helped start dialogue with the royal family — a turning point for the museum’s goal. Last year, a university presidential declaration affirmed the Oba’s ownership of the art, strongly influencing the plans of many museums who were working with the Nigerian government.
This wood and iron altar piece, probably created in devotion to maternal ancestors in the Benin Kingdom, depicts a hen with a densely textured surface. Patterns on the bird represent feathers, and designs on the base refer to Igbesanmwan, the Benin Oba's wood and ivory carver's guild. The Benin Bronze piece, held at the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art since 1986, was returned to the Royal Court in a July 15 ceremony in Benin City, Nigeria. It was one of many art works stolen by the British in an 1897 massacre. (Oba Ewuare II)
The effort, made possible thanks to a grant from the Mellon Foundation, has helped position the Stanley Museum as a leader in ethical art restitution. A Washington Post survey of 56 institutions with Benin Kingdom Court-style works found that only 16 institutions were engaged in repatriation or willing to do so in 2022. Their possessions accounted for over 1,200 artifacts.
“Today, we are taking a step towards healing a historical wound and building a new relationship based on respect and trust,” said Lauren Lessing, director of the Stanley Museum. “We hope that the return of these artworks to His Majesty sets a precedent for other museums to follow.”
In the same vein, Prince Aghatise Erediauwa said he in a statement he hopes the visit “opens the door to many more restitutions” directly from American museums to the Royal Court.
“This historic restitution of the Benin Bronzes highlights the transformative role that educational institutions can play in fostering understanding and cultural exchange,” said a statement from Kevin Kregel, executive vice president and provost at the University of Iowa.
www.thegazette.com
The Stanley Museum, along with over a dozen other museums across the country, started making arrangements with the Oba of Benin to return the two pieces of art to their rightful owners “as swiftly as possible.”
What has happened since?
Earlier this month, the Stanley Museum of Art became the first North American museum to return the art stolen in the 19th century massacre.
In a July 15 ceremony with Stanley Museum and Benin Royal Court representatives at the Benin Palace, two pieces known as the Benin Bronzes were accepted by His Majesty Oba Ewuare II. The two objects, a brass plaque and an altar piece of a hen, had been part of the museum’s collection since 2001 and 1986, respectively.
“The violence and loss associated with these objects can never be forgotten,” said Cory Gundlach, curator of African art at the Stanley Museum. “The museum used these objects to teach with the assumption that the open art market provides an equal opportunity for everyone to acquire anything, and with the conviction that American institutions are immune to colonial complicities specific to European nations that once occupied Africa.”
With hope for future collaborations and potential to host the Oba for a visit, the Stanley Museum is committed to acknowledging the tragic chapter in history while using it as a “catalyst for positive change,” Gundlach said
The museum began forging the path to restitution in 2020, when the provenance research position was created. Staffer and student researcher Mason Koelm traced the objects to their origin, sparking further research with Peju Layiwola, Mellon curatorial fellow and a leading scholar on African art restitution at the Stanley Museum.
After collaboration with Prince Aghatise Erediauwa of the Royal Benin Court, the museum’s collections committee and advisory board voted to formally de-accession the objects from the collection — making them works on loan from the Oba of Benin for the last four years.
Layiwola, who was uncertain how committed the museum was to the cause, called the ceremony a “testament to their transparency.”
“Today, the Benin bronzes are forging a new kind of cordial relationship between the Stanley Museum of Art, the Benin Royal Palace and the National Commission for Museum and Monuments,” she said in a statement.
In 2019, the Association of Art Museum Directors began creating guidelines for looted African art in American museums. But while other museums pursued repatriation to the Nigerian government, the Stanley Museum took a different route under Gundlach’s belief that the Benin Bronzes belonged directly to the royal family.
In 2021, Layiwola helped start dialogue with the royal family — a turning point for the museum’s goal. Last year, a university presidential declaration affirmed the Oba’s ownership of the art, strongly influencing the plans of many museums who were working with the Nigerian government.
The effort, made possible thanks to a grant from the Mellon Foundation, has helped position the Stanley Museum as a leader in ethical art restitution. A Washington Post survey of 56 institutions with Benin Kingdom Court-style works found that only 16 institutions were engaged in repatriation or willing to do so in 2022. Their possessions accounted for over 1,200 artifacts.
“Today, we are taking a step towards healing a historical wound and building a new relationship based on respect and trust,” said Lauren Lessing, director of the Stanley Museum. “We hope that the return of these artworks to His Majesty sets a precedent for other museums to follow.”
In the same vein, Prince Aghatise Erediauwa said he in a statement he hopes the visit “opens the door to many more restitutions” directly from American museums to the Royal Court.
“This historic restitution of the Benin Bronzes highlights the transformative role that educational institutions can play in fostering understanding and cultural exchange,” said a statement from Kevin Kregel, executive vice president and provost at the University of Iowa.
UI museum becomes first in America to return stolen art to African royals
About 127 years after it was stolen by the British in a massacre, the Benin Bronzes have been returned to the Benin royal family in modern-day Nigeria.
www.thegazette.com
