April 21, 2023: Art Up Close: Topics in Restitution and Repatriation

Igbo artist, Figure (ikenga), first half of the 20th century. Princeton University Art Museum. Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund

Art Up Close: Topics in Repatriation and Restitution 

Friday, April 21

2:10–4:20 p.m.

Art Museum Off-site Classroom

The Princeton University Art Museum Student Advisory Board invites you to a special opportunity to explore artwork from the Museum’s collection of African art, up close and in person. Join Perrin Lathrop, assistant curator of African art, to discuss the ethics of looking, issues around restitution and repatriation, and to imagine new models of ownership. Open to Princeton undergraduates only. Space is limited and registration is required. Registration closes April 18. Register here.

Schedule:

2:10 p.m. – Board shuttle on William Street at Green Hall

2:30–4:00 p.m. – Workshop

4:20 p.m. – Arrive back on campus at Green Hall

Suggested Reading*: 

*We encourage participants to read these articles in advance of the workshop so that they can arrive prepared and ready to engage in great conversations about ethics and art. 

Zoë Strother, “Eurocentrism Still Sets the Terms of Restitution of African Art,” Art Newspaper (2019)https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2019/01/08/eurocentrism-still-sets-the-terms-of-restitution-of-african-art 

Chika Okeke-Agulu, interview, “‘The question is not about location but ownership.’ Okeke-Agulu on the Looting, Market, and Restitution of Igbo Alusi Figures,” Imo Dara (2020) https://www.imodara.com/magazine/okeke-agulu-alusi-restitution/ 

Julian Lucas, Review, Bénédicte Savoy, “Africa’s Struggle for Its Art,” New Yorker (2022)https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-forgotten-movement-to-reclaim-africas-stolen-art