ABSTRACT
The exhibition of Benin art in American museums and galleries since the first landmark exhibition of African art started in the 1930s is remarkable. By accessing two significant exhibitions – The Benin Royal Art from the Perls Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Benin Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria at the Museum für Völkerkunde, Austria, Musée du quai Branly, and the Art Institute of Chicago, this chapter analyzes the changes that have transformed the appreciation of the art in Europe and America. It argues that such changes, which are seen on the various exhibitions, can be construed as museum innovations. The chapter also analyzes the history of Benin and how its artworks were looted. It ends with my perception of the ongoing discourse on the repatriation of Benin art.
