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| Benin Bronzes Ly Benson's Gallery, Beaufort, SC |
Museums and galleries are essential for me when visiting any state. I was on my way to St. Helena Island, South Carolina, to visit the historic Penn Center. The gallery of Ly Benson caught my attention. My breath was taken away once I entered the gallery and saw all the beautiful masterpieces of artwork and antiques. I met the owner Rev. Kenneth Hodges who shared so much history with me in such a short time. This collection of brass sculptures depicts the capture and suffering of being enslaved and is one of his oldest pieces in his collection. The artwork, sculptures, and antiques all tell a story. You should visit the gallery if you ever get the chance to visit St. Helena Island, South Carolina. It is well worth the drive and time. The Benin Bronzes are a group of several thousand metal plaques and sculptures that decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now Ebo State, Nigeria.
A New York Nonprofit Restitution Study Group (RSG) filed a lawsuit to block the Smithsonian from repatriating it's Benin Bronzes to Nigeria. The suit argues that the heirs of American enslaved descendants have as mis to the Benin Bronzes as the Nigerian government.
A statement made Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, founder and executive director said that "We study the bronzes as scholars, students, and descendants of the people who made them." We need access to them to study them she explained. "We suffer a concrete and imminent injury as a result of this transfer,"
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| Dr. Antoinette Harrell Ly Benson's Art Gallery Beaufort, SC |
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