Metropolitan Museum returns three bronze objects to Nigeria

The Metropolitan Museum in New York has officially returned to Nigeria three works of art stolen by the British in the 19th century: two 16th-century reliefs and a 14th-century bronze head from the Kingdom of Benini that were seized by the British during the 1897 occupation and then transferred to the British Museum. The three objects remained in England until 1950, when the United Kingdom returned them to Nigeria: they were displayed for some time at the National Museum in Lagos after which they returned to the market under unclear circumstances and were purchased by a private collector in New York who in 1991 donated them to the Metropolitan Museum, where they have remained for years. Following collaborative research conducted over the past year by the Metropolitan and the British Museum, the New York museum contacted the National Commission for Museums and Monuments of Nigeria (NCMM) to seek clarification on the status of these works and, in the course of exchanges determined that the works should be returned to Nigeria. The works had already been withdrawn from the exhibition last June.

Now the three objects will return to Nigeria again-the announcement, made in June, was confirmed yesterday in an agreement between the Metropolitan’s director, Max Hollein, and NCMM’s director general, Abba Isa Tijani. Tijani, for his part, congratulated the Met “for the transparency it has shown. NCMM understands that there are great opportunities for collaborations of all kinds, including traveling exhibitions with many of these valuable objects. NCMM should pursue this jointly with as many available partners as possible under potential agreements. NCMM looks forward to a future of joint activities with the Met. We will work together with other colleagues on the Digital Benin project and many other worthy initiatives to be discussed.” Nigeria’s Minister of Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, invited “other museums to take a cue from this decision. The art world can be a better place if every cultural property owner takes into account the rights and feelings of the disenfranchised.”

“The Metropolitan,” Hollein said, “is pleased to have initiated the return of these works and is committed to transparency and responsible acquisition of cultural property.” Also the New York museum signed an agreement to secure shared commitment to the African country for future exchanges of expertise and artworks, including loans of material from Benin by the Metropolitan in preparation for the opening of a new museum in Benin City, as well as for Nigeria’s national museums. Loans from Nigeria, on the other hand, will arrive when the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing of the New York museum reopens in 2024. “Today’s signing of the memorandum of understanding,” Hollein stressed, “is a significant way to demonstrate our commitment to the Met’s partnership with the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments. We look forward to collaborating together on art loans and exchanges of ideas and scholarship.”

Metropolitan Museum returns three bronze objects to Nigeria

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