Met museum returns Nigerian art through loan agreement
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City arranged for the return of three sculptures to Nigeria via a long-term loan. Collector Ceil Pulitzer initially offered the artworks as a gift, but the museum decided a loan arrangement better suited its acquisition standards.
Pulitzer, an art collector and member of the Pulitzer family, gathered detailed information about the pieces’ origins when she purchased them between 2015 and 2018.
The three works, one copper figure and two terracotta busts, represent artistic traditions of Ife and Benin, dating from the 12th to 18th centuries. The copper figure depicts an iyọ́bà (queen mother) from the Kingdom of Benin, a rare solo representation of a woman within the kingdom’s courtly art. Museum experts noted most queen mother sculptures appeared as part of larger altar displays.
The Met plans to exhibit the sculptures in its Arts of Africa galleries this month and make them available for scholarly research.
