African Arts during World War II : Spoliations, Destructions, Dispersions (duration of the project : 2025-2028)

The fate of African artworks during World War II is an overlooked field of inquiry and a subject that requires a close reading of the archives, both between the lines and against the grain. Bringing together researchers, artists and knowledge holders, this international project will unfold through a range of public events (study days, seminars, workshops in Africa, colloquium) in order to investigate and reveal the impact of the war on African arts, their displacement, their erasure, and their repositioning—both in Africa and in Europe.

The project’s objectives relate to the history of collecting, the identification of key market players, and the analysis of African objects’ specific status in the context of racist theories of fascism. It is about making visible the silences and absences related to this period and these geographies. It is an extension of the project RAMA (Répertoire des acteurs du marché de l’art sous l’Occupation) developed by INHA.

Funding
With funds from the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme and financial support from the French state through the National Research Agency (ANR) as part of France 2030 and the project SPHINX (ANR 24 RSHS 0006), carried by Sorbonne Université.