Honoring the looted artistic expert Savoy with the Castle Citizen Award | hessenschau.de

In the city of Kassel, the Citizens’ Prize “Glass of the Mind” was awarded to art historian Benedict Savoy. The Savoy is considered one of the leading voices in the decolonization of European museums.

Benedict Savoy received the award Sunday “for her incorruptible stance, in which she combines scientific research with cultural and political work,” the Friends of the Society and sponsors of the Citizens’ Prize said. “We are touched by how tenacious and transparent Benedict Savoy has been in penetrating the heart of colonial history,” said Bernd Layfield, president of the association.

The chair of the Department of Modern Art History at the Technical University of Berlin is one of the main voices in the field of discussion of the recovery and decolonization of European museums. Time Savoy magazine named it one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2021.

Savoy said that “a five-year era of headwinds, a turbulent time” is coming to an end. The award is an incentive for her to continue her own path.

The debate over how to deal with looted colonial art

Savoy caused a stir in 2017 with her criticism of the Humboldt Forum in Berlin. The foundation was accused of not adequately dealing with the origin of its artwork and not being transparent enough. In protest of the lack of clarity about the origin of the planned exhibition objects, she resigned from the advisory board of the Humboldt Forum.

Her critique concerned, among other things, dealing with looted colonial art, for example Benin Bronze art. Bronze artworks were looted during the United Kingdom’s colonization of Africa. The debate initiated by Savoy led to the return of some artwork.

He also won the Snowden Prize

The Mind Glass award was donated in 1990 by the citizens of Kassel, who also funded it. The award is given to people and institutions who have made a special contribution to Enlightenment principles, such as reason and tolerance, and overcoming ideological barriers. Previous winners have been Hans Dietrich Genscher, Joachim Gauck, Ai Weiwei and Edward Snowden.