Lot number 491 - Auction 133
'BILDNIS DES KÜNSTLERS LORIS BEHANZIN' (2023)

BERND DAVID 1969 Bad Berleburg - lives and works in Cologne 'PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST LORIS BEHANZIN' (2023) Oil on wood. 57 x 41 cm. Verso: Signed, dated and titled on the reverse. Literature: 'gestalten II' (2023), cat. no. 2. Exhibition: 'Gegenpaare', 2023. Loris Behanzin descends from the last royal line of Benin. One can see his pride and at the same time guess the fate of the family. Recently, Benin has been in the focus of the German media with the return of looted bronzes. The difficulties and problems in returning them to their rightful owners illustrate the Eurocentric view of most people. Unfortunately, the African continent has again increasingly become the target of imperialist interests. Instead of emancipation in the sense of 'Africa for the Africans', geopolitical conflicts are being fought out that are ultimately about resources. In this respect, the restitution has at the same time an insipid aftertaste, since Nigeria possesses the largest oil and gas deposits in Africa.