Also possible at short notice: German Lost Art Foundation awards funds for research on Benin bronzes
The discussion about the return of the so-called Benin bronzes to Nigeria does not only affect large institutions such as the Humboldt Forum – smaller institutions in Germany also own cultural objects from Benin that may date back to seizures and looting at the Royal Palace in Benin City in 1897. In order to enable smaller museums to identify such objects in their holdings, the German Lost Art Foundation would like to encourage them to apply for short-term research grants from its funds. The Foundation can provide up to 25,000 Euros for a project duration of up to six months for provenance research on individual objects or smaller groups of objects.
On April 29, 2021, the Minister of State for Culture and the Media Monika Grütters, the directors of the German member museums of the Benin Dialogue Group, the ministers of culture of the federal states responsible for these museums, and representatives of the Federal Foreign Office agreed on a joint declaration on the further handling of the Benin bronzes in German museums. In addition to the greatest possible transparency, the main aim is to achieve substantial restitutions and cooperation. First restitutions are planned in the course of 2022. The "German Contact Point for Collections from Colonial Contexts" is to publish a list of all Benin bronzes held by museums on its website at www.cp3c.de by June 15, 2021.
The term "Benin bronzes" is a collective term for sculptures and metal panels looted by British troops at the end of the 19th century from the royal palace in the Kingdom of Benin in present-day Nigeria. In addition, there are also works of art from Benin in German collections that arrived in Europe as barter and trade goods. Objects from Benin are now in many European museums, and in Germany alone there are about 1000 of these important African works of art.
If, in the case of works from the Kingdom of Benin, there is a suspicion of acquisition by force, as in the case of the British action against Benin City, the special urgency required by the German Lost Art Foundation for short-term funding is clearly given. Own funds do not have to be provided for this purpose. Eligible to apply are institutions under public law as well as those with recognized non-profit status.