Return of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

The Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen (rem) are to restitute their holdings of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria. The decision to this effect was taken by Mannheim City Council at its meeting on 29 July 2025. The museums have now been tasked with taking further steps towards transfer of ownership and possible restitution. Some of the objects are to remain in Germany on permanent loan. The Nigerian side will determine priorities and the timetable. The rem aim to coordinate transport centrally through the German federal government, together with other museums.

The Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen are committed to returning Benin court art, which was looted in 1897 during the British sacking of Benin City in present-day Nigeria. “Usually referred to as ‘Benin Bronzes’, these objects possess immense cultural, historical and symbolic significance for Nigeria and for the descendants of the Kingdom of Benin. Although a monetary valuation is scarcely possible, their value lies primarily in their power to shape identity,” says Dr. Sarah Nelly Friedland, rem Director of Archaeology and World Cultures.

The museums currently hold 29 Benin Bronzes, including three commemorative heads and three relief plaques, as well as bells, vessels, carved ivory tusks and weapons. Most of the items came to Mannheim in the 1920s as donations or purchases; some were transferred in 1935 from Karlsruhe in connection with a state-mandated exchange among Baden museums. The provenance of the artefacts was thoroughly investigated through a research project funded by the German Lost Art Foundation.

The rem are in close contact with other German museums on this issue. Their Benin holdings have been published online, making them accessible both through the nationwide database of the German Contact Point for Collections from Colonial Contexts and the international platform Digital Benin.

The return of the Benin Bronzes to Nigeria was endorsed by the federal government, the federal states and the national associations of local authorities in April 2021. The City of Mannheim joined this initiative. The “Joint Declaration on the Return of the Benin Bronzes” was signed by Germany and Nigeria in July 2022, thereby establishing the legal and political framework for restitution. The five German museums with the largest collections previously transferred ownership to Nigeria in 2021, including Museum am Rothenbaum Hamburg, Linden-Museum Stuttgart and Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum Cologne. A first group of objects was sent to Nigeria in December 2022.

The Nigerian side – represented by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) – recently concluded an agreement with the Oba of Benin on questions of ownership and custody of the restituted works. The agreement recognises the Oba’s ownership while transferring responsibility for custody and negotiations to the NCMM. Any sale of the objects is ruled out.

Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen blog post: https://www.rem-mannheim.de/blog/rueckgabe-von-benin-bronzen-an-nigeria/  

To the project: Provenance research on the Benin artefacts at the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen