Benin 1897 .com: Art and the Restitution Question

From 07 Apr 2010 to 29 May 2010

8 April - 30 May 2010. As part of Nigeria's 50th anniversary celebrations, the University of Lagos is staging a solo exhibition by artist and scholar Peju Layiwola. The show presents viewers with the thorny question of colonial art theft and the issue of its subsequent restitution. Layiwola's presentation refers specifically to Britain's looting of art work from Benin in 1897, including the removal of thousands of bronze and ivory works from the palace of Oba Ovonramwen. The exhibition will later travel from Lagos to Ibadan, Abuja and Benin.