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Display, restitution and world art history: the case of the ‘Benin Bronzes’

The cornerstone of this article is an argument for the existence of a three-part development of display paradigms for non-western cultural material in western museums. This encompasses an initial phase wherein such material was displayed as 'archaeological artefact' (i.e. under the sign of science). This was then superceded by the modernist display paradigm of 'primitive art' (i.e. under the sign of the aesthetic). It is argued that this second convention has now given way to a third display paradigm of 'global-contemporary art' (i.e. under the sign of difference). As a consequence of this stance, the paper offers an original argument about the relation of contemporary African art to the western avant-garde.

Originally delivered as a paper at the Association of Art Historians in 2009, the arguments were substantially revised for publication, drawing further on an earlier research visit and seminar at the University of Lagos, Nigeria in 2008. In addition to offering a new framework for understanding the western display of non-western art, it also discusses the issue of cultural patrimony in respect of holdings of African cultural material in British museums.

The essay draws on field work and research in Benin City, and interviews and discussions with contemporary African artists and art historians (including Bruce Onobrakpeya and Duro Oni). This research is synthesised with results drawn from study of strategies of display of a range of African art and material culture in various British collections including the Whitworth, Manchester, the Horniman, London and the British Museum.