History

Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes

Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes

  • Downloads：3856
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-01 09:51:22
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Barnaby Phillips
  • ISBN：1786079356
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

‘A fascinating and timely book。’ William Boyd

‘Gripping…a must read。’ FT

‘Compelling…humane， reasonable， and ultimately optimistic。’ Evening Standard

‘[A] valuable guide to a complex narrative。’ The Times

In 1897， Britain responded to the killing of a group of officials by razing an empire to the ground。 The men had been travelling to the ancient Kingdom of Benin， in what is now Nigeria， when they were ambushed and killed by local soldiers。 Just six weeks later， the British had exacted their revenge， set Benin aflame， exiled the king and annexed the territory。 They also made off with some of Africa’s greatest works of art。

This is the story of the ‘Benin Bronzes’， their creation， removal， and what should happen to them now。 When first exhibited in London they caused a sensation and helped reshape European attitudes towards Africa， challenging the prevailing view of the continent as ‘backward’ and without culture。 But seeing them in the British Museum today is， in the words of one Benin City artist， like ‘visiting relatives behind bars’。 In a time of fevered debate about the legacies of empire， loot， museums and history， what does the future hold for the Bronzes themselves？

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Reviews

Keith ，

A fascinating read。 Stylish and accessibly written， it gives just the right amount of detail to cover Benin's history relating to the their stolen art treasures。 The author treads a careful line between objectivity without hiding behind the prevailing sense that restitution is long overdue。 Thoroughly recommended。 A fascinating read。 Stylish and accessibly written， it gives just the right amount of detail to cover Benin's history relating to the their stolen art treasures。 The author treads a careful line between objectivity without hiding behind the prevailing sense that restitution is long overdue。 Thoroughly recommended。 。。。more

Christine ，

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley。ttOne of the results of colonialism is the taking of important objects of art or history from their original country or area of origin。 So， if you want to see the famous bust of Nefertiti， you have to go to Berlin， despite how completely it seems to stand for Ancient Egypt。 Of course， Egypt wants it back; of course the Neues Museum basically says no。 Perhaps， the bust isn’t the best way to start this review as one could argue that the transfer was far more legal tha Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley。ttOne of the results of colonialism is the taking of important objects of art or history from their original country or area of origin。 So， if you want to see the famous bust of Nefertiti， you have to go to Berlin， despite how completely it seems to stand for Ancient Egypt。 Of course， Egypt wants it back; of course the Neues Museum basically says no。 Perhaps， the bust isn’t the best way to start this review as one could argue that the transfer was far more legal than the stealing of Benin Bronzes by the English， but it raises the same question， a question that I have difficultly answering – what should happen to artifacts that were taken or stolen， should they be returned。 On one hand， yes， you want to shout， of course。 But part of me will always remember how excited and happy my student was to see an Egyptian artifact at the Penn Museum。 The artifact had the name of a pharaoh we had been reading about。 I have never seen a student so excited。 And there is no way that a English class at a community college is going to get a funded trip to Egypt。 Perhaps items of great， cultural worldly value should be held in common – of course this means sharing the 200 plus editions of the first Folio of Shakespeare’s works in all country as well as say private ownership for some things should not be an option。tThankfully， Phillips book is not about such an total question。 Phillips concerns himself with the Benin Bronzes and other cultural artifacts， which were stolen from the Kingdom of Benin （today part of Nigeria） by the British。 The book is part art history， history， and travelogue as well as an examination of the debate and struggle to reclaim what was stolen。 （Note: the Republic of Benin is a difficult country。）tIf you have seen Marvel’s Black Panther， you have seen a Benin Bronze; it’s in the scene with Killmonger in the museum， though Killmonger declares the work is from Wakanda。 While this opens a host of questions including why attribute the work of art to a fictional kingdom， especially when those white people who first saw it claimed it was done by Egyptians or Europeans， it does tie into the questions that Phillips is examining。 （It is interesting to note that the Dora Milaje are based on the Kingdom of Dahomey’s， now the Republic of Benin， all woman regiment）。 tPhilips starts with the British Museum and the arrival of Prince Gregory Akenzua to see the works。 This included a trip to the stores to see those items that were not on display。 We also get Benin artist Victor Ehikhamenor’s experience viewing the items on display。 From there， Phillips takes the reader to how the Bronzes and other works most likely were made as well as the cultural and religious importance of the items。 We then travel back in history to the first meeting between Europe and Benin as well as the events leading up to and including the destruction of the kingdom at the hands of the British。 The reader is not simply presented with the debate over where the artworks should be， the reader is presented with the complete context and history of the debate。tWhile Phillips appears to side with Nigeria and Benin （and how could you not）， he does present a very even handed approach。 He doesn’t just look at the museums which house the looted works， but also those works that remained in private hands， even in dealing with descendants of those looters。 Some of these descendants have returned the works， some wished to but put finically stability of the family first （and considering the current state of the world， I’m not sure how moral I would be either）。 He looks at the influence that the quest for return of the works has had on the works of Nigerian artists， in particular film makers as well。 In tackling the question of safety of the looted works if returned to Nigeria， he does relate the stealing of cultural works in Nigeria itself; however， he also points out and details such robbery occurring in European museums， questioning exactly what is meant by safe。 He looks at the impact of films like Black Panther on the question as well as the impact of the recent protests。tPhillips’ writing is engrossing and he is an excellent story teller。 He possess an ability to look at the issue from various views and points， and to let the reader experience that view with him。 The book is a great read about a very important issue and event。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0