Igùn is an ongoing investigation into a 17-year artistic decline (1897-1914) in Benin Kingdom—following the 1897 British colonial invasion. During the invasion, British colonial officers torched Benin city, deposed the Oba (King), stole over 3000 cultural objects from the royal palace, shipped the objects off to England for sale to private and institutional collectors. The 1897 invasion ushered in an interregnum (1897-1914) which was characterized by an artistic decline, because the absenc...
