Benin. Looted History

Relief plaque: King with Two Dignataries, Kingdom of Benin, 17th century, brass, Museum am Rothenbaum, Hamburg © MARKK, photo: Paul Schimweg

In October 2021, the government of Germany and the Nigerian Commission for Museums and Monuments signed a memorandum of understanding which set out a timetable for restitution of some 1,100 Benin bronzes from German museums in 2022. Benin. Looted History presents the entire collection of 179 of these bronzes now in Hamburg’s Markk Museum to the German public for one last time before they are sent back. This collection is second only to the one in Berlin’s Ethnological Museum which will also be shown this year at the new Humboldt Forum.

In addition to informing the public about how and why the Benin Bronzes arrived in Germany and about the current restitution debate, the show offers different perspectives on the original meaning of the objects, their outstanding artistic quality, and their significance for African art and cultural history. A specific focus is given on the provenance of the collection and its intertwined history with the Hamburg trade networks.

The museum is also at the forefront of a project to launch Digital Benin, a website providing object data and related documentation on Benin Bronzes in collections around the world. The launch is projected to take place later in 2022.