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Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes (Revised and Updated Edition) Paperback – June 28, 2022

by Barnaby Phillips (Author)

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A tragic story of the British empire run amok and the plunder of great works of art

A Prospect Best Book of 2021

‘A fascinating and timely book.’ William Boyd

‘Gripping…a must read.’ FT

‘Compelling…humane, reasonable, and ultimately optimistic.’ Evening Standard

‘[A] valuable guide to a complex narrative.’ The Times

In 1897, Britain sent a punitive expedition to the Kingdom of Benin, in what is today Nigeria, in retaliation for the killing of seven British officials and traders. British soldiers and sailors captured Benin, exiled its king and annexed the territory. They also made off with some of Africa’s greatest works of art.

The ‘Benin Bronzes’ are now amongst the most admired and valuable artworks in the world. But seeing them in the British Museum today is, in the words of one Benin City artist, like ‘visiting relatives behind bars’. In a time of huge controversy about the legacy of empire, racial justice and the future of museums, what does the future hold for the Bronzes?

Print length

416 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Oneworld Publications
Publication date

June 28, 2022
Dimensions

5.1 x 1.4 x 7.8 inches
ISBN-10

0861543130
ISBN-13

978-0861543137
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Editorial Reviews

Review

‘Gripping…a must read.’ ― FT

‘[A] balanced reconstruction of the Benin saga and probes the difficult choices facing European – and Nigerian – museums… Phillips excels at tracing the roundabout ways in which objects could find their way into museums.’ -- TLS

‘The storytelling is crisp, balanced and authoritative… As Britain continues to twist on the thorny issue of racism…this book’s laser-sharp focus on the casenotes from one instance of colonial cruelty allows for a much more informed understanding of the wider issue. Whereas before the now highly valuable Benin Bronzes might have had us looking in the attic for some forgotten heirloom, perhaps now we are left examining our consciences.’ -- Tim Butcher, Spectator

‘Mr Phillips, a veteran British correspondent in Africa who knows Nigeria well, adds new and much-needed context to the story of the Edo empire and its bloody finale… Mr Phillips is at pains to show how deeply the Edo people feel the loss of their physical culture… But Mr Phillips is clear-sighted about the political and financial obstacles that must still be overcome.’ -- Economist

‘His compelling book is full of African voices… It is balanced, sternly critical of the Brits when that is appropriate, but at the same time humane, reasonable, and ultimately optimistic.’ -- Evening Standard

‘[A] valuable guide to a complex narrative… Throughout this tortured history, Phillips writes with journalistic detail, gathering his accounts from many sources, attempting fairness.’ -- The Times

‘Damning’ -- Prospect, Best Books of 2021

‘A veteran journalist based for years in Africa, Mr. Phillips has written a humane and thoughtful book, devoid of the sort of posturing that mars the debate over the repatriation of objects brought to the West during the colonial era.’ -- Wall Street Journal

‘Vivid, dramatic and colourful, Loot is a story of empire running amok. It still has huge resonance in the debate about colonialism and racism today.’ ― Kwasi Kwarteng, MP and author of Ghosts of Empire and War and Gold

‘Persuasive… Phillips is scrupulously fair yet damning. He points to the racist hypocrisy that rationalised colonial plunder…[and] covers the ritzy, often clandestine, history of the Bronzes on the western market, where some objects have been sold for up to £10m. Above all, his tale is one of competing ways of assessing material culture.’ -- Prospect

‘This timely, thoughtful and beautifully crafted volume deftly guides us through a truly astounding passage of events. These are the kind of histories that change the way that we look at things we thought we knew – whilst shocking us at the things that we simply hadn’t grasped.’ ― Gus Casely-Hayford, Director of V&A East and former Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of A

‘A fascinating and timely book. A brilliant model of expertly marshalled historical research and compelling narrative.’ ― William Boyd, author of Any Human Heart and A Good Man in Africa

‘Reading Barnaby Phillips’s Loot is like walking a sniffing dog through the minds, homes, and storerooms of government agents, military adventurers, museums, art dealers, and collectors… Brilliant and evidenced-based… It is a highly recommended book that will thrill the reader to the last page.’ ― Dr Uyilawa Usuanlele, Associate Professor of African History, State University of New York

‘This is a thoroughly researched, well written and timely contribution to the live debate about cultural restitution. Accessible yet nuanced, we hear the voices of a contested history from the looters themselves and the bronze casters of Benin City, to the leaders of the world’s major cultural institutions and so many other players in this drama. Barnaby takes us on a journey raising important questions about empire and the meaning of art, civilisation and culture.’ ― Clive Myrie, BBC Chief Correspondent and Presenter

‘Phillips weaves a compelling and evocative narrative from the off, peopled by a cast that propels the story forward, sending the reader on a voyage of discovery that raises some very important questions indeed… accessible, packed with drama and utterly fascinating. It should appeal to a wide audience, from those with an interest in the history of colonialism to art historians and readers who are simply looking for a book that will be difficult to put down.’ -- All About History

‘Well-balanced and highly readable.’ -- Peter Frankopan, Air Mail

'Brilliant' ― South African Mail and Guardian

‘Rarely have books like Loot focussed so in-depth on the perspectives of Africans. As Loot makes clear, whether in the form of Nollywood films or oral histories handed down across generations, Nigerians have had a lot to say about the Benin Bronzes… Phillips kicks off his stylish tome with an in-depth history of the Kingdom of Benin… he paints a touching portrait of the kingdom and the people who inhabited it… it’s possible that a book like Loot could offer some readers the context needed to get behind Phillips’s cause.’ -- Art News

‘Debate continues to rage over whether the Benin Bronzes held in London’s British Museum should be returned to Africa. Barnaby Phillips focuses instead on their origins, investigating their medieval authors, and what they can tell us about Africa’s culture and history.’ -- BBC History

‘For the first time a comprehensive account of the famed Benin Bronzes, from their creation to their pillaging by British troops to subsequent attempts at recovery. Phillips writes with ease and erudition, highlighting the many complexities that arise with each attempt at addressing this historical injustice.’ -- Alexander Herman, The Art Newspaper

‘Readers interested in the diversity of Nigerian views about the Benin Bronzes will be better served by [Loot]… Phillips’s incorporation of local perspectives produces a nuanced picture.’ -- International Journal of Cultural Property

About the Author

Barnaby Phillips spent over twenty-five years as a journalist, reporting for the BBC from Mozambique, Angola, Nigeria and South Africa before joining Al Jazeera English. He is the author of Another Man’s War: The Story of a Burma Boy in Britain’s Forgotten African Army, which is also published by Oneworld. He grew up in Kenya and now lives in London.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oneworld Publications (June 28, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0861543130
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0861543137
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.1 x 1.4 x 7.8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #315,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #54 in West African History
- #162 in Colonialism & Post-Colonialism
- #1,461 in Art History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
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Barnaby Phillips

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Barnaby Phillips was a TV and radio journalist for 27 years, mainly in Africa, where he was a correspondent for the BBC in Mozambique, Angola, Nigeria and South Africa. 'Loot- Britain and the Benin Bronzes' is Barnaby's second book, after 'Another Man's War' (2014), which is also a tale of the legacy of the British Empire in Nigeria. Barnaby is the Director of Communications for the Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI), an alliance of African countries with common policies on elephant conservation. He now lives back in his native London.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

152 global ratings

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Denis Yambasu

This book is not only about stolen arts, but the history of a kingdom.

Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2021

Verified Purchase

I am still reading the book and fascinated by the content.

2 people found this helpful

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keetmom

Everything you could wish to know about the Benin Bronzes but were too afraid to ask

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2021

Barnaby Phillips has produced a masterpiece of historical writing and topical investigative journalism that is a joy to read. He has done so with impeccable timing, capturing interesting new shifts in the global cultural debate as the ink was drying on his manuscript. His is a vexed and emotive subject - to whom do the treasurers of the past belong? Phillips casts his net widely and provides a wealth of insights in telling the story, from multiple perspectives, of the Benin Bronzes, masterpieces of delicate bronze casting and ivory carving more than 500 years old. He explains how and when they were produced (on the same street in Benin City where the bronze craftsmen still work), the horrors of British imperial conquest and the dispersal of these historic artworks into museums and private homes in Britain and around the world. This is emotional stuff but Phillips' scrutiny is thorough and sharp eyed throughout.

As Phillips reveals so gently but tellingly, time has shifted the terms of the debate. The former military conquerors from Europe turned cultural custodians are more willing to listen and reflect. The calls from Nigeria for the return of the bronzes also embrace the need to communicate the meaning of and protect the extraordinary heritage of peoples otherwise forgotten. Without in any way underplaying the stakes involved, Phillips leaves us with grounds for believing the great divide could be bridged sooner than we may think.

6 people found this helpful

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Bruce Oksol

Poorly written.

Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2021

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I'll add more later but it's hardly even writing a review. Simply poorly written.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Slapdash

A really great book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 21, 2023

Verified Purchase

I had bought this book for some considerable time on kindle before finally getting down to reading it only very recently, and believe me when I say for a book of 400 pages I DEVOURED it in about a week.
The author paints a vivid picture of the sack of Benin City (the home of the Edo people who lived in what is now modern day southwestern Nigeria) by the British in 1897. The famous "Benin Bronzes" usually epitomised by the famous brooding face of Queen Idia brought comparisons with the ancient sculptures and Greece and Rome. But there were many a fine carved ivory tusks to boot, and depictions of Portuguese traders (and due to the virulent racism of the time, the British thought it must've been these visiting Europeans who taught the primitive Africans how to create these artworks) as well.
He follows these artworks on a murky trail of being first war booty to precious art being bought and sold in most famous auction houses in the Europe and US, to spectacles being viewed by thousands in foreign museums.
But the pain caused to the Edo people it was taken from, had never gone away, and the author does a good job of chronicling the claim and counter claim of the Edo people in particular, and the Nigerian govt in general, trying to get them returned since the age of the high imperialism of the Britain's colonial past to the now post-Black Lives Matter present where colonialism's spoils are looked at in a completely different light.
I recommend this book to anyone wanting read about how treasure literally become loot

One person found this helpful

MJ

Riveting mix of history and investigative journalism

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 2, 2021

Verified Purchase

The Benin Bronzes are interesting as works of art and as evidence of the technical sophistication of the people who created them. They are also emblematic of the relationship between sub-Saharan Africa and Europe over more than 500 years. Barnaby Phillips, who has worked and lived in Africa for many years as a journalist, tells their story in a cracking mix of history and investigative journalism.

The book has 8 pages of glossy/colour illustrations as well as numerous black-and-white illustrations throughout the text. It also has some very helpful maps, endnotes and a bibliography for further reading. I picked it up to zoom in on this particular aspect of African history after reading "The Fortunes of Africa" by Martin Meredith, which is similarly readable.

After introducing the Benin treasures in their current setting in Western museums and explaining how they were created, the book traces their history. They were created by Edo craftsmen of Benin City in modern Nigeria (not in the modern Republic of Benin) for the Oba (king) of Benin.

For over 400 years the Kingdom of Benin had largely amicable trading relations with Europeans. However, like other African powers, in the late 1800s they faced increasing European encroachment which lead to friction over trade. In 1896 a new British Deputy Consul General, James Phillips, arrived on the coast determined to depose the Oba without British government authorisation. He announced that he was travelling to Benin City. The Oba responded that he was not welcome at that time due to religious festivities but Phillips ignored this and proceeded towards Benin City. Edo troops ambushed Phillips and his companions, killing 7 of the 9 British and an unknown number of their bearers. Two wounded Brits managed to escape through the jungle back to the coast. In the high noon of European imperialism this inevitably resulted in the punitive expedition of 1897 which deposed the Oba and destroyed Benin City after carrying off its treasures.

The book then follows the fates of various participants in the 1897 confrontation, tracing how the Benin Bronzes changed hands and gained new significance. It gives the views of key players on what should be done with them. It is particularly interesting to hear the views of Nigerians on this subject. The last chapter makes an interesting link to the question of migration from Nigeria to Europe. Strongly recommended!

5 people found this helpful

PJ B'ham

A Tour de Force in Nigerian History

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 29, 2023

Verified Purchase

An absolutely immersive and painstakingly well-researched narrative of the history relating to Britain’s theft of Benin’s cultural heritage from a punitive expedition against the Edo of Benin Kingdom in 1897 and the various (and ongoing battles) to return to their country of origin.
Barnaby has done a first-rate job of writing with both passion and integrity, seeking to write the truth, whatever that may be and on whatever party it falls on.
I consider this work, drawing on so many well documented sources, to be an invaluable aid in appraising the history and current state of the Benin Bronzes.

3 people found this helpful

Lolah

intriguing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 8, 2023

Verified Purchase

An intriguing read which gives a different viewpoint on the Benin Bronzes, including interviews with both sides of the debate. Highly recommended reading

One person found this helpful

Lucy

what should museums give back?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 23, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is a lively, well written exposition of the dilemma facing many European and American museums concerning the question of restitution of stolen goods. It's not as simple as it sounds – who stole them, how did they end up in museums, can their provenance be proven, would they be looked after if they were given back, who should they be given back to? – and Barnaby Phillips does an excellent job of not only telling us the story of the Benin bronzes themselves, but the finely balanced arguments about what should be happening to them now. Letters, diaries, archives and books are supplemented by interviews with descendants of the key actors and the protagonists of today. A fascinating insight into how collections have been built up over time and what of the moral duties of museums and curators compared with the armies and colonists who took the goods in the first place.

3 people found this helpful

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