ARTHIST 222: Looted Art: Histories and Restitution

Course Description

Artworks from Benin City, which were looted by British troops from the Edo Kingdom in Nigeria in 1897, are at the center of a public debate about a violent colonial past and the (involuntary) complicity of museums in its aftermath. The return of the so-called "Benin bronzes" in 2023 has shaken the foundations of the "universal museum" model. Colonial narratives and the legitimacy of collections are being put to the test. How do museums in Germany position themselves in these debates and the political struggles that have evolved around it?