Midway into the on-going European and U.S. tour exhibition of works of ancient Ife originsa collaborative efforts between the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) and their foreign partnerssafety of the works became a subject of debate. But the commission has assured safety, though the controversy also draws attention to the benefits of several collaborative exhibitions organized in partnership with holders of some of Nigerias stolen artefactsWHEN the show arrived at the British Museum, London, U.K. last year as Kingdom of Ife: Sculptures from West Africaafter taking off in Madrid, Spain some African art specialists were worried that Spanish conservators applied the wrong coatings, which were aimed at protecting the works for the two-year tour. The works, according to the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), are on loan from Nigeria, just for the period of the shows. One of the experts, Prof John Picton of School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London had argued that the conservations done affected the ancient originality of these works. Picton, a former deputy director of National Museum, Lagos noted that the ancient brass heads of some of the works have been replaced with a shinny surface. In collaboration with the NCMM, the British Museum, Fundacion Marcelino Botin of Spain and the Museum of African Art, New York opened what they described as the second phase of an international exhibition last year in London. The first phase, according to NCMM, was held in Santander and Madrid, Spain in May 2009 with over 100 pieces in brass, copper, stone and terracotta courtesy of the Nigerian government. Last week, the issue of conservation of these works, was again raised in Europe. The Director-General of NCMM, Mallam Yusuf Abdullah Usman, in his response, few days ago, argued that there was no damage done to any of the works. He agreed that there was an error by the conservators in Spain, but noted that it was not enough to cause any damage.Though, I was not the D-G then, but I remember the issue raised over a particular work. It was like an overdose of coating, which can always be reversed without any damage or distortion to the work. The museum chief clarified that only one work, the Ori Olokun head, was affected. Another expert, David Perfitt who contributed to the debate via an online medium last week argued that techniques and medium of restorer vary from across countries and cultures. He noted, for example that white emulsion paint from a hasty installation is no less relevant than the equivalent spatter of BTA from Spanish restorers. As Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria, Houstons Museum of Fine Arts, U.S. hosted the show last year. At present, with the same title, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is hosting it. From July 10 to October 9, 2011, attention will be shifted to Indianapolis Museum of Art. And as the first show at the new building of the Museum for African Art, New York from November 11, 2011 to April 8, 2012. Whatever led the Spanish restorers to provide protection for Ori-Olokun showed that, perhaps, there was a need for such step. This clearly indicates that the NCMM, the custodian of the countrys vast artefacts needs to do more in the area of training of its staff. The D-G agreed that government has been facing challenges in the area of restoration and preservation. In the last four years, the government has been involved in similar collaborative exhibitions with foreign museums. From 2007 to 2008, a similar exhibition tagged Benin-Kings and Rituals: Court, Arts from Nigeria was held in Europe and U.S.Concluded at the Arts Institute of Chicago, U.S, it was first shown in Vienna,Austria, in 2007, and later held in France and Germany. During the opening at the Chicago show, the Benin monarch sent a delegation. Also, in Berlin, Germany, the federal governments delegation was led by the then Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode. Out of the over three hundred exhibits of Benin origin involved in the tour, about 35 were said to have been on loan to the organisers from the collection of the Palace of Benin, NCMM and Ebohon Gallery, Benin. Aside showing the works to the world, what exactly is the country gaining, particularly in the area of human resource development The current collaborative tour exhibitions, Usman stressed, is already providing an opportunity for the NCMM to train its staff abroad. Our staff were trained in Madrid for a period of 12 months and in the U.S. in such disciplines as education, installation and conservation. Recently, the attention of international community has been drawn to the deplorable state of the National Musuem, Onikan, which later the attention of the Ford Foundation and a local group, The Arts and Business Foundation, led by Tayo Aderinokun of Guarranty Trust Bank. In 2009, they announced a donation worth $2m to revive the National Museum. The assistance, they assured, would include training of staff of the museum in conservation and preservation. Though I was not the D-G then, but I remember the issue raised over a particular work. It was like an overdose of coating, which can always be reversed without any damage or distortion to the work.
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