In conjunction with the program Répertoire des acteurs du marché de l’art en France sous l’Occupation (RAMA), and as part of the research projects initiated by the French National Institute of Art History (INHA) pertaining to the art market and provenances, INHA is organizing a study day titled African Arts during World War II: Spoliations, Destructions, Displacements.
The aim is to propose a first exploration of the multiple consequences of the war on African artefacts, their displacements, erasures and repositioning – both on the African continent and in Europe.
This meeting will provide an opportunity to establish a state of the field, and to identify and bring together researchers with specialized knowledge.
The goal is to formulate key questions through a collective and open approach, by proposing a framework that takes into consideration a plurality of perspectives and areas of expertise: art historians, historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, provenance researchers, museum curators, lawyers.
The issues at hand are multifold, from the history of collections, to the identification of stakeholders, the translocation of works, and the specific status of African objects in the context of racist theories of fascism.
Deadline for submission of Abstracts 1 June 2025.
Ethiopian collections in the gallery dedicated to the spoils of General Rodolfo Graziani, Museo Coloniale, Rome, 1939. BNCR, Fototeca IsIAO, Museo – Storico Militare, 35A.II.49.
