ZWOLLE.- On November 10, Museum de Fundatie returned a Benin bronze plaque from its collection in Benin City, Nigeria. The restitution was carried out by the director of Museum de Fundatie, Beatrice von Bormann, to the National Commission of Museums and Monuments (NCMM) of Nigeria. In February 2025, the NCMM signed a management agreement with the Oba (king) of Benin for the care of Benin antiquities, including the repatriation, conservation, storage, and exhibition of these artifacts. This agreement represents a collaboration between the Nigerian government agency (NCMM) and the Royal Court, which acts as the steward of Benin’s heritage.The transfer took place at the National Museum in Benin City, where an exhibition is currently on view showcasing several returned Benin bronzes from museums around the world, as well as recently repatriated works from the Wereldmuseum.

Back to Benin

Starting February 21, 2026, the museum will host a group exhibition centered on the plaque. Ten contemporary Nigerian artists are participating, all from Edo,the region that was the center of the centuries-old Benin Kingdom and is now a province of Nigeria. The exhibition links the historical and cultural significance of the plaque with contemporary art and living traditions. With this restitution and exhibition, Museum de Fundatie emphasizes the importance of justice and dialogue in engaging with colonial heritage.

Vibrant

Back to Benin: New Art, Ancient Legacy features over 60 works of striking contemporary art, including drawings, paintings, illustrations, sculptures, textile art, photography, digital media, and audio-visual works. These works demonstrate how the ancient visual traditions of Benin remain vibrant today, although expressed through different media and forms.

The exhibition tells the story of the Benin Kingdom before and after the British expedition of 1897, which saw the palace and kingdom attacked and looted, and many people killed, through archival materials, photographs, books, and artworks. Recent restitutions are also highlighted. The Benin bronze plaque is included on loan from the NCMM, after which it will return permanently to Benin City.

Artists

On the entire first floor of the museum, selected existing works and new pieces made specifically for the exhibition are presented in dialogue with the returned bronze plaque from the Fundatie Collection. Featured artists include:

• Leo Asemota (object with gilded text in Dutch gold leaf and brass on Sapele wood)

• Minne Atairu (3D-printed sculpture in bronze and copper, and an AI-generated two-channel video)

• Victor Ehikhamenor (installation with seven perforations on handmade paper and a sound piece)

• Favour Jonathan (sculpture in stainless steel and bronze)

• Taiye Idahor (textile work—pigment and image transfer on cotton fabric)

• Osaru Obaseki (sand painting—red earth on woven and unwoven fabric; bronze casting connecting mudfish plates; bronze iconography pendants on cord)

• Enotie Ogbebor (sculpture and bronze plaque, sound piece)

• Abraham Oghobase (installation—inkjet prints on fiber paper, wall drawing, and wallpaper)

Alongside a selection of existing works by the same artists and pieces by Osaze Amadasun (a series of acrylic paintings on paper) and Phil Omodamwen (a selection of bronze sculptures).

The Plaque

Museum de Fundatie voluntarily and unconditionally restitutes the Benin bronze plaque to the royal family of Benin, Nigeria. Like most of the bronzes and ivory works from the Benin Kingdom, it was likely stolen by British colonial forces in 1897. This particular plaque depicts a mudfish or lungfish, a symbol of rebirth in Edo culture. It was acquired in 1937 by museum founder Dirk Hannema from Amsterdam art dealer Carel van Lier. Like many other bronze plaques, it originally adorned the walls of the Oba of Benin’s palace.

Journey to Nigeria

Director Beatrice von Bormann and curator Aude Christel Mgba traveled to Nigeria in November 2024 and November 2025 to prepare for Back to Benin: New Art, Ancient Legacy. They met with the participating artists, conducted research on the Benin bronzes, and participated in the restitution ceremony for the plaque, which had been part of the Fundatie Collection since 1937.