Benin In Paris: Triumph Of The Aesthetic Over The Ethnological?

The general impression we got from the Benin Exhibition, now in Paris until 6 January 2008, was that on the premises of the Musée du Quai Branly, the establishment of which had been seen by some as the victory of the French art establishment over the ethnologists and colonial historians, the aesthetic view point prevailed over ethnological presentation and historical depth.

To begin with, most of the materials and objects relating to life at the Benin Royal court, the national attires of the Edo, their dances and festivals were no longer visible. The videos and pictures which explained the process and creation of bronze objects and the artists at work were left out. The newspaper cuttings and photos showing Oba Ovonramwen under British custody, on a British yatch on his way to exile as well as the photo showing British soldiers of the Punitive Expedition with stolen bronze and ivory art objects were left out. The modern bronze showing Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip with Oba Akenzua II was also left out. Most of the material objects relating to rituals and religion, including big altars, was also left out. Some small altars are included. The number of exhibits shown in Paris is definitely less than what was shown in Vienna. It cannot therefore be claimed to be the most extensive exhibition on Benin art as is claimed in one the leaflets distributed to visitors:
“Il s'agit là de la présentation la plus complète jamais organisée sur le patrimoine culturel du royaume de Bénin” (1)

Whereas in Vienna the objects on show were presented in halls which were not very well lighted and sometimes, in my opinion, did not permit the viewer to appreciate fully the excellent craftsmanship of the Benin masters, the Exhibition in Paris, city of light, were fully lighted, in white panels in a room with white walls. In short, the display is just what you will see in any modern art museum or gallery. Here, there is nothing like the red mud wall (or imitation thereof) we saw in Vienna and very little reminding the visitor of daily life in an African society. The viewer's attention is absolutely focussed on the beauty of the objects and the craftsmanship that went into their making.

Is the emphasis on the aesthetic aspects of Benin art a way of avoiding the issue of restitution which could arise when the viewer has more information on the sources and methods of acquisition of these objects as well as their functions and their deeper philosophical, religious or symbolic significance?
Perhaps the partisans of the aesthetic approach did not want to relive some of the birth pangs of the Musée du Quai Branly nor the discussions on restitution that accompanied the exhibition at Vienna and which are still having effect in Chicago, well ahead of the exhibition there from 1July to 21 September, 2008, (2) after the exhibition in Berlin from 7 February to 25 May 2008.

It is noticeable that there was no discussion in the Musée du Quai Branly before or during the exhibition about the issue of restitution. Moreover, very little seems to have been reported in the French newspapers about the exhibition and definitely no mention of restitution in the papers. I read the French newspapers before the beginning of the exhibition on 2 October and during the days thereafter. There was not even a mention of the exhibition nor of the press conference which took place on 1October. I was told that there is no written record of the event! Very strange, I would say. One can understand the Director of the Musée du Quai Branly and his staff for not wanting to discuss the issue since this museum has over 350,000 objects most of which are of dubious origin. But is this an honest intellectual approach to cultural matters? One of the functions President Chirac assigned to the museum on its opening was to be a place of dialogue between the diverse cultures:

“But it is much more than a museum. By multiplying viewpoints, the venue's ambition is to render the depth and complexity of the arts and civilizations of all those continents. In doing so, it seeks to encourage a different-more open and respectful-view in the broadest possible audience, by dispelling the mists of ignorance, condescension and arrogance that were often found in the past and bred mistrust, scorn and rejection.”(3)

It does not appear to me that the objective mentioned above is being fulfilled when the issue of restitution which interests most African States and in this context, the people of Benin, is not mentioned or discussed when the Benin artefacts are being shown in the Musée du Quai Branly.
It will be interesting to see what happens in Berlin where the Ethnologisches Museum has considerable number of Benin bronzes and some 75,000 African art objects. Will the museum choose a more Ethnology-oriented approach to display the Benin bronzes and thus follow the ideas of its founding fathers to gather as much objects as possible in order to explain the culture of a given people? Or will they, in view of their holding of many Benin bronzes and in order to avoid similar discussions on restitution as happened in Vienna, chose to follow the aesthetic approach?

(1) Leaflet entitled Du royaume de Bénin à la Diaspora contemporaine p.2.
(2) Tension Mounts Over Benin Artifacts in U.S.
http://allafrica.com/

(3) Speech by M. Jacques Chirac, President of the Republic, at the Opening of the Musee du Quai Branly, Paris, 20 June 2006.

Kwame Opoku, Vienna, 9 October, 2007.