So many of the African artworks found in museums in Europe and North America were originally looted and stolen through colonialist and imperialist campaigns in Africa.For this project, you will watch a video about African Art, Restitution, and the Contemporary Art Market and then address the discussion prompts below:
Watch “Restitution? Africa’s Fight for its Art,” a film by Nora Philippe (French, 54 min, 2022): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyzCBti9xMQ (Transcript can be found here: https://www.allarts.org/programs/afropop/restitution-africas-fight-for-its-art-6lH7oO/)
What types of African artworks seem to be the most popular on today’s art market? Did you see any African artworks in this documentary that were similar to the ones we discussed in class? (for example, Nok, Yoruba, Benin, etc.) Explain.
How does the film ask viewers to reconsider the role that museums play in collecting and exhibiting African art?
