Loot Loot

Loot

Britain and the Benin Bronzes (Revised and Updated Edition)

    • $9.99

Publisher Description

A Prospect Best Book of 2021

‘A fascinating and timely book.’ William Boyd

‘Gripping…a must read.’ FT

‘Compelling…humane, reasonable, and ultimately optimistic.’ Evening Standard

‘[A] valuable guide to a complex narrative.’ The Times

In 1897, Britain sent a punitive expedition to the Kingdom of Benin, in what is today Nigeria, in retaliation for the killing of seven British officials and traders. British soldiers and sailors captured Benin, exiled its king and annexed the territory. They also made off with some of Africa’s greatest works of art.

The ‘Benin Bronzes’ are now amongst the most admired and valuable artworks in the world. But seeing them in the British Museum today is, in the words of one Benin City artist, like ‘visiting relatives behind bars’. In a time of huge controversy about the legacy of empire, racial justice and the future of museums, what does the future hold for the Bronzes?

GENRE
History
RELEASED
2021
April 1
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
400
Pages
PUBLISHER
Oneworld Publications
SELLER
Simon & Schuster Canada
SIZE
12
MB
King Leopold's Ghost King Leopold's Ghost
1999
Edge of Empire Edge of Empire
2005
Painter in a Savage Land Painter in a Savage Land
2008
Empires of the Dead Empires of the Dead
2013
Roanoke Roanoke
2015
Courting India Courting India
2023