Plundered artworks to go from the MFA to who knows where

Boston Globe

03-05-2025

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We applaud collector Robert Owen Lehman's decision to rescind his donation of pieces he'd pledged to Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. No morally conscious person would enrich the heirs of slave traders with profits of human suffering. The Benin bronzes celebrate practices that persist today: Edo state remains a hub of
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Nigeria already holds hundreds of bronzes, according to the
We need the bronzes for cultural education, metallurgy study, and DNA research linking us to trafficked ancestors. Returning them unconditionally to Nigeria would rob the world of opportunities for healing and justice. They must be entrusted to the descendants of the enslaved, not gifted to the heirs of the slave traders.
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Rather than retraumatizing Afrodescendants through this harmful double standard, the MFA could help usher in repair from three centuries of transatlantic slavery and a century of colonialism by facilitating joint stewardship. They belong to all of us.
Deadria Farmer-Paellmann
Founder and executive director
Restitution Study Group
New York
MFA, collector Lehman should not delay in righting wrong, returning artworks
I read with interest and horror about the Museum of Fine Arts' meek, legalistic response to wealthy donor Robert Owen Lehman's decision to break their agreement to transfer ownership of looted Benin Kingdom national treasures to the museum (
Many other museums are returning the artifacts heisted by colonial Britain. Why doesn't the MFA show its moral fiber by returning its own pilfered sculptures to their place of origin? Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments, with the agreement of the Nigerian oba, or king, is clear about wanting all the bronzes back, despite some initial hesitation. 'There is no more ambiguity,' the head of the commission said.
Reporter Malcolm Gay noted that the MFA is looking for an ethical way forward. It should immediately return the five bronzes to which it has clear title and be the moral leader this moment demands. This is also the perfect occasion for Lehman to make amends by returning his collection of stolen bronzes to their rightful owners.
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No equivocation. Don't wait years. Lehman has enjoyed these pieces for about half a century. The moment for him and the MFA to do the right thing is now.
Mac Herrling
Brunswick, Maine
English teacher's students get a lesson in modern colonialism
If you give a high school sophomore a Benin bronze, they can be thrust into a global discussion about colonialism. If you schedule a museum trip to view these bronzes, they might learn an unexpected lesson about modern entitlement instead.
My 10th-grade English students at Brookline High School began with zero knowledge of the Benin bronzes — artifacts looted by British forces from the Kingdom of Benin in 1897. These pieces, representing craftsmanship that surpassed Western standards of their time, remain largely in Western possession despite growing calls for repatriation.
While the ethical path is clear — return stolen cultural treasures to Nigeria — the reality is complex. The
Rather than facilitate the bronzes' return to Nigeria, it seems that the donor has chosen private ownership. This decision not only brings an end to the MFA's dedicated gallery and prevents my students from viewing these important artifacts, but it also removes the pieces from public view entirely, adding another chapter of injustice to their story.
For our world literature course we read Chinua Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart.' To extend our discussion of Nigerian literature and culture, I designed a unit around the Benin bronzes. While some students argued that museums might justifiably retain possession under certain conditions, all understood Nigeria's rightful claim. Not one student suggested that private collectors should have the right to withdraw such significant cultural artifacts from public access.
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Though Lehman may have honorable intentions, the impact of his decision, on its face, reinforces colonial entitlement.
Janet Kelley
Brookline
'I hope we never lose this room'
The following is an edited sampling of
to Malcolm Gay's front-page story, 'MFA to return art to donor, close gallery':
I never miss this room when I visit the MFA. When we were there in late March, I told my wife, 'I hope we never lose this room.' (kewcam)
Majority of these third world countries asking or demanding for items back do not have the proper infrastructure or museums to even store never mind showcase these priceless works. (NorthHollywood)
That's why conceding ownership to the country of origin while allowing the display at the MFA works. (sbrooks103)
The
Be sure to check out the Worcester Art Museum's arms and armor collection, second only to the Met. (charlotte sato)