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Blood Art has no place in Museums - Coggle Diagram
Blood Art has no place in Museums
The world knows about blood diamonds. It’s time it learned about blood art.
The global Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 drew public interest into some of these issues.
A small bit of change must be rewarded. The Smithsonian's agreement to return art Is a great start, but with more attention to the Issue the more change will come.
Proudly owning and displaying stolen art is no different from proudly owning and displaying diamonds that cost human life to acquire.
Other institutions should follow the Smithsonian’s lead by returning looted goods.
The Smithsonian Institution has announced that it will return its collection of priceless Benin artifacts — 39 pieces in all — once it hammers out the details of an agreement with Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
It's good to see The Smithsonian take stride to rectify this issue. Hopefully, with Its example, other Institutions will follow suit.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York returned two of its Benin Bronzes, though the total collection consists of 160 Bienin Bronzes.
The British Museum continues to hold on to its collection of more than 900 Benin Bronzes, offering only temporarily loans back to Nigeria.
In November 2021, the Boston Globe’s Malcolm Gay reported that the museum would pause the transfer of ownership of the remaining 27. But museum director Matthew Teitelbaum said “we certainly don’t think we should encourage the return of the objects to the donor.”
To the donor? How about doing the right thing and sending them home?
Though Nigeria demanded the art be returned, the museum displayed all 32 of the Bronzes and took ownership of five of them.
What defense can there be for holding on to looted objects? The standard defense is that it's easier to preserve in western museums, and that it would be more accessable for learning purposes.
Actual educational value of these works in western institutions is minimized. The didactics that accompany the works give little Insight Into It's history.
Lending stolen items back to their rightful owner adds insult to injury.
More than a century after the Punitive Expedition, the British are still trying to get away with their plunder.
This year marks 125years since the British sent more than 1,000 troops to slaughter the people of Benin City.
The exact number of Benin City victims is unknown, but the killing and destruction were not the end of the crime that was carried out. Many artifacts were plundered to recuperate the cost of war.
Indeed, word was sent back to Britain that selling off Benin’s objects could help offset the cost of the war.
To the Kingdom of Benin and its descendants, the works represent both the pinnacle of their spirituality and the perfection of their craft. The British only saw a means to recuperate the cost of war. As such the Art means much more to the Benins