LOS ANGELES â At least six sculptures, potentially as many as 19, stolen during an 1897 massacre by British colonists in Africa have been sitting quietly in two Los Angeles art museum collections for the past half-century.
That status is likely to change. Pressure has been building for longer than a decade for the return of thousands of objects looted from the Royal Palace in Benin City, located in what is southern Nigeria. Repatriation of Benin art is as essential as restitution for art looted during the Holocaust, which this theft resembles.
Britainâs invading imperial forces were after natural resources, especially the rubber and palm oil necessary for industrial expansion, when they targeted the palace. Mass murder at the seat of the Edo peoplesâ nonindustrial African kingdom, together with the cityâs virtual erasure, confiscation of its sacred relics and their triumphal display in Europeâs museums, carried with it a symbolic assertion of the superiorit
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At least six sculptures, potentially as many as 19, stolen during an 1897 massacre by British colonists in Africa have been sitting quietly in two Los Angeles art museum collections for the past half-century.
That status is likely to change. Pressure has been building for longer than a decade for the return of thousands of objects looted from the Royal Palace in Benin City, located in what is southern Nigeria. Repatriation of Benin art is as essential as restitution for art looted during the Holocaust, which this theft resembles.
Britain’s invading imperial forces were after natural resources, especially the rubber and palm oil necessary for industrial expansion, when they targeted the palace. Mass murder at the seat of the Edo peoples’ nonindustrial African kingdom, together with the city’s virtual erasure, confiscation of its sacred relics and their triumphal display in Europe’s museums, carried with it a symbolic assertion of the superiority of Queen Victoria’s
Commentary: Two L A museums hold art looted during an African massacre a century ago msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The project addresses the need to increase community participation in exhibitions, digital learning and public programs
Patrick Polk
Left: Hollywood Sikh Temple, Los Angeles, February 2020. Right: Saint Raphael Catholic Church, Los Angeles, January 2020. Erin Connors |
January 25, 2021
UCLA has received a grant of $1.38 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support a new endeavor called “Engaging Lived Religion in the 21st Century Museum,” that aims to expand the Fowler Museum’s ongoing study of religious and spiritual traditions in Los Angeles and around the world.
With a focus on exploring the multisensory experiences of religion, the three-year project addresses the urgent need to increase community participation in exhibitions, digital learning and public programs. The Lilly Endowment grant will enable the museum to implement new digital learning activities and provide curatorial and educational outreach support, as well as offer stipends for community partn