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Hi there, everyone. It's Jennifer, your friendly art history podcast purveyor. and I wanted to try something a little bit new this summer.

I am going to be releasing some short form, super casual episodes every Friday to share some of my favorite art history updates and interesting news tidbits.

This is by no means an extremely comprehensive listing of the news this week.

These are just stories that I personally found interesting and I wanted to share with you.

This is also in addition to Art Curious episodes that you know and love,

and all of this will get you up to date on the latest goings-on in the realm of art history.

So let me be your guide to this week in art. Today is Friday, July 8th,

2022, and some of the stories that I found most interesting this week are the following. First,

I am so pleased to say that there is finally a negotiated restitution agreement between Germany

and Nigeria for the return of the so-called Benin bronzes.

This is coming after decades of fights for the patrimony of thousands of objects that were looted

over a century ago from the royal palace of the West African nation of Benin, as well as parts

of southern Nigeria. While the looting was purportedly done by British troops in 1897, the Benin bronzes, which, go figure, aren't all bronzes, but also include ivory and brass pieces, have made their way to hundreds of institutions around the world.

According to the art newspaper, Germany is officially transferring ownership of more than 1,000 works back to Nigeria.

In a joint ceremony in Berlin announcing the repatriation agreement, the German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbook, proclaimed, quote, the Benin bronzes are returning home.

It was wrong to take the bronzes, and it was wrong to keep them for 120 years.

Nigeria's ambassador to Germany, Yusuf Togar, later tweeted his enthusiasm for the partnership,

...