The Netherlands realizes “finders keepers” don’t apply to art theft and have returned over 100 Benin Bronzes looted from Nigeria in the late 19th Century, some of which ended up in a Dutch museum. Over 5,000 bronzes were stolen by British soldiers from Benin City in 1897 and scattered around the world. Some were in the British Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, while others remain in private collections.
Nigeria began its efforts to reclaim the Benin Bronzes in the 1930s and has been requesting the return of the Benin Bronzes after gaining independence. In 2002, The Benin Royal Palace and the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture formally requisitioned the return of the bronzes. What followed was the formation of The Benin Dialogue Group, an initiative to reunite the most significant of Benin’s historical artefacts with Benin City. The requests did not stop there in 2021; The Federal Ministry of Information and Culture sent a written request to the British Museum for the bronzes; in 2022, The National Commission for Museums and Monuments asked that the Horniman Museum return the Benin bronzes.
These efforts have seen some victories in recent years. Finally, in 2021, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York returned three Benin Bronzes to Nigeria; in 2022, London’s Horniman Museum followed suit and handed over ownership of its 72 Benin bronzes to Nigeria. Germany also returned over 20 Benin bronzes to Nigeria in 2022. The Netherlands’ return of 119 Benin artefacts is the largest repatriation of Benin antiquities.
“With this return, we are contributing to the redress of a historical injustice that is still felt today,” said Dutch Minister of Culture, Education, and Science Eppo Bruins, according to AFP.
Olugbile Holloway, Director-General of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), expressed optimism that this move would set a precedent for other nations.
Nigeria has big plans for its reclaimed treasures, with plans to inaugurate the Edo Museum of West African Art in Benin City in 2026. This museum will house the largest collection of Benin Bronzes ever assembled.
