Metropolitan Museum of Art Strikes a Deal with Nigeria for Long-Term Loan of Three Major Artworks
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has reached an agreement with Nigeria for a 25-year long-term loan of three major artworks that will go on display this month in the museum’s remodeled Michael C. Rockefeller wing. Formerly owned by artist and philanthropist Ceil Pulitzer, the works were transferred to the Friends of Nigeria’s Cultural Heritage, established by Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), allowing them to remain at the Met without entering its permanent collection. The objects date from the 12th to 18th centuries and include a Yoruba terracotta “Head of a Horse” (12th–15th century) from Ile-Ife, an Edo terracotta “Commemorative Portrait from the Benin Kingdom” (ca. 16th century), and an Edo copper-alloy “Figure Representing a Queen Mother from the Benin Kingdom” (ca. 18th century). Met director Max Hollein said the collaboration will expand global appreciation of Nigerian art while supporting NCMM, which was established in 1943 and manages 53 museums, 65 national monuments, and two world heritage sites. The New York Times reported there were no allegations the works were stolen, but their provenance was considered insufficiently strong for the Met to formally acquire them.
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This story was covered in Restitution Reckonings and a Market on the Move