Overview:

Member Preview Day: July 9

Spectacular and sophisticated, the royal sculptures of the Benin Kingdom of Nigeria are among the most acclaimed icons of African art. Yet, despite widespread recognition of its artistic legacy, the kingdom has never been the focus of a large scale and comprehensive exhibition. The ambitious project, organized by the Museum für Völkerkunde, Vienna, will be the first to reunite many of the greatest Benin works now housed in collections across Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Nigeria. In the summer of 2008, the Art Institute of Chicago will serve as the exclusive U.S. venue for this landmark exhibition. The Art Institute's installation will feature approximately 220 works, including finely cast bronze figures, altar heads, wall plaques, and staffs of office; sculpted ivories; royal regalia and jewelry in brass, coral, and ivory; and other accoutrements of life at court. Planned with the most prominent scholars of Benin art, history, and culture, as well as the cooperation of reigning Oba Erediauwa and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Nigeria, the exhibition will bring international attention and new perspectives to Benin art.

Altar Group (Aseberia) with Oba Akenzua I and Attendants, 18th century. Nigeria, Benin Kingdom; Edo. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ethnologisches Museum, III C 8164.