Christie's proceeds with sale of artifacts, says the transaction lawful given that objects were sold at past auctions.

Auction house Christie's has gone ahead with a sale of statues which Nigerian museum officials said were stolen during the country's civil war in the 1960s.

Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments had demanded Christie's stop the sale of the artifacts, which were collected by an art dealer and adviser of the late French President Jacques Chirac.

But at Monday's auction in Paris, the pair of "museum quality" Igbo statues were sold for 212,500 euros ($239,000). Meanwhile, a "major Urhobo statue" estimated at 900,000 euros ($1m) failed to sell.

The three pieces from southern Nigeria were among a number of "African masterpieces" that Christie's said came from an "important European private collection" they declined to name.

However, the head of the National Museum in Nigeria's Benin City had said the objects were stolen during the Biafran war that raged in the late 1960s and appealed to Christie's "and other auction houses to halt the process immediately".

"They have to repatriate such works and pay compensation to us in the interest of natural justice," Theophilus Umogbai said.

Chika Okeke-Agulu, a Princeton scholar who also raised alarm earlier this month that the objects were looted, said the pieces are "an important part of Nigeria's art and cultural heritage".

"Nations and societies value the examples of the great art and cultures of their ancestors," he told Al Jazeera.

"So to have this set of objects that were stolen from eastern Nigeria during the civil war up for sale when we should be discussing the terms of their return because they were illegally taken out of Nigeria, that's why I started the call for repatriation."

Okeke-Agulu said the objects were taken through "an act of violence" and should not be sold. An online petition with the hashtags #BlackArtsMatter and #MyHeritageMatters collected more than 3,000 signatures demanding the auction be halted.

Christie's refused to stop the sale, saying the objects had been previously sold at a major international art fair.

In a statement to the Associated Press news agency, the auction house said: "These objects are being lawfully sold having been publicly exhibited and previously sold over the last decades prior to Christie's involvement."

While Christie's said it recognised the "nuanced and complex debates around cultural property", it said public sales of objects like these should go ahead to stop the black market flourishing.

It said there was "verifiable documented provenance" that the objects were taken out of Nigeria before 2000, as the law required.

Christie's said the objects were most likely traded by local agents before being sold to Jacques Kerchache, the French art dealer, in Cameroon or in Paris.

"We believe that this type of statue would not have been sold without the agreement of local chiefs/leaders."

But Mallam Abdu Aliyu, of Nigeria's museums commission, said they were convinced the objects were taken illegally.

"For years, we have clamoured for the repatriation of these works to no avail. We have been negotiating through dialogue and diplomacy to have these works brought back to their original owners," he told AFP news agency.

"We have written a letter of protest to Christie's ... and are going to engage Christie's and museums in the UK, Germany and other nations where our artefacts had been allegedly taken."

The repatriation of artworks and religious objects looted by European powers during the colonial era has become a political hot potato, with several African and Asian nations demanding the return of treasures.

French President Emmanuel Macron caused an earthquake in the museum world in 2019 by ordering the return of 26 treasures to Benin, which borders Nigeria.

A report he commissioned also recommended the return of objects removed without consent during the colonial period if their countries of origin asked for them.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2020/06/auction-stolen-nigerian-treasures-paris-200629184454077.html

Let's hear from the honorable minister for culture and tourism himself

Abeg jare , I will Design a Professional Logo for your product or Business for 2k Only

Artifacts they stole from shrines. I'm sure the people that stole those artifacts are dead (maybe mysteriously). Reminds of the movie " the oracle". These ones will now go and pay heavily for village deities (evil spirits) and mount them in their houses. Good luck to them

Nigeria is not a country that can intimidate ordinary Boko Haram.... Na France them wan go begin flex authority give...



No country will ever give their regards to Nigeria, a country birthed under corruption and ethnic division.....

EXOUSIAng:


You sound so uneducated, am I'm wondering how you are able to write.

You're uneducated to me....

dalass:


French people are also thieves and corrupt... You know where these artworks were stolen from. Yet they continue to profit from it knowing its illegal

They plundered Africa and still ripping us off economically... If its theirs, that will be one hell of wahala as they will trace the thief and make him pay compensation for all those years... Wicked western people

The people in charge of this country are the ones giving them express way to come in and loot us...


Till date, we still have illegal miners from different countries looting our country dry... Who gave them visas?


Even in the case of Bakassi, a very rich oil region in cross River State, was sold out and today, Cross River State is dependent on FAAC to sustain and develop the state....

Damnnnnn niggarrr
They should Keep it..we are not interested...but they should remember they were the first to draw blood...the battle line has been drawn

This is the main reason i don't feel bad and guilty when people say bombing is bad

I do it with joy....I focus on those Moda fuckkkers....
You ransack our land and you think you will enjoy it

You can't put a padlock on my Great great grandfather's mouth and subject them to misery and suffering and now you think your posterity will go scot free...
It is obvious now a sword of Damocles is hanging over thier head
Their children Will continue to bleed for us and we won't turn swords and daggers into plough shares

That's Nigeria for you

Meanwhile.. If you want to learn new cashout methods and different works you can do to make lots money check my signature, if i haven't had enough, then you'll be invited.

When will Nigeria ever be respected..

Obviously was stolen by Nigerians and sold to the West

Nice one guy

Nigeria doesn’t have the balls to confront those fvckers and even if we try they will never take us serious based on say Nigeria is a joke of a nation
Kaliwali artefacts Let us tackle the ones we are facing first
Screw all them colonisers though

Nigeria have since lost its respect in the committee of Nations! Abeg follow auction Nigeria because I need my own share.

Please don't make racist and tribalistic comments on this section
Only this statement made me change my perspective cos I really love the whites

ol

call ICC, FBI, INTERPOL, EFCC

Nawa

Nawa

Brandstudio01:
Let's hear from the minister for culture

lie lie Mohammed

Open Yahoo Yahoo

Do you have the original certificate of the stolen artifice. That's what they gave us pen and paper. We gave them our costumes. Lets not wail in agony. Embrace the true Civilization at its peak.

In need of help with your project or seminar writeup.....contact 07037238469.....for affordable and reliable service.

Unfortunately, our government isn't bold to ask that the artifacts be returned, otherwise, place a sanction on France since we depend on the West for Foreign Aids.

They are coming for this post


Edit: oops they realize the post has nothing to do with them, so they'll be silent..

bad jus too bad...
how would a stolen artifacts be autioned openly
i still believe that something can be done by the minister of culture..
we cant allow such to happen to our culture and tradition..
am jus here ranting...las las even if our minister reacts, they would jus promise him his share and cgo ahead and aution it..