DIASKW

Together with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France), the Musée Universitaire of the Université de Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) and a freelance researcher and artist from the Bamum royal family (Republic of Cameroon), the Lübeck World Cultures Collection is investigating two previously unexplored collections that arrived in Lübeck more than 100 years apart. These consist of a total of 730 objects from the Congo (426 objects) and Cameroon (304 objects). They originate from a colonial collection belonging to the first museum director, Richard Karutz (1867-1945), and from the late and post-colonial collection of the German art collector Bernd Muhlack (1937-2020).

Research in museums in France and Belgium will be used to reconstruct the provenance and significance of colonial objects. On the German side, source material on recent trade in African art in French-speaking countries will be made available to experts. The African cooperation partners will inform the respective communities of origin about the existence of the objects, document any remaining knowledge, and also inquire about the current significance of the cultural assets for the communities. Taken together, these data will form the basis for future joint research and exhibition projects in African museums and provide arguments for or against restitution.