In 1897, the British launched a brutal invasion of Benin City, looting its treasures and setting it ablaze. , ivory carvings, and palace records were stolen. The city was left in ruins.

T HE SACKING of Benin City by a heavily armed expeditionary force in February 1897 was said to be an act of revenge in a bitter trade dispute between Britain and the Kingdom of Benin, east of ...

You can’t come to Benin without visiting Ganvie, one of the largest lake villages in the country. Cradled by the waters of Lake Nokoué, near the port city of Cotonou, Ganvie is a popular stop ...

These artworks were some of the 29 pieces that were legally transferred to their country of origin, Nigeria, in fall 2022. The so-called “bronzes,” which were in the museum’s collection for many years ...

Zeickner-Okoro said he was delighted that his gift, a 2-metre-by-2-metre plaque with carvings depicting historical events in Benin City, had been accepted even though the museum ruled out an exchange.

Funded by the Ernst von Siemens Art Foundation, Digital Benin was some two years in the making and the result of a web of international partnerships. The 14-person project team included scientific ...

Art Smithsonian gives back 29 Benin bronzes to Nigeria: ‘We are not owners’ Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III and National Gallery of Art Director Kaywin Feldman preside over a formal ...

Germany returned 20 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria’s government in a ceremony in December. But Nigeria’s outgoing president has now bestowed ownership on a descendant of the ruler of the ancient ...