Nok Art is at least 3000 years old and is the earliest known proof of use and manufacture of iron in sub-saharan Africa.

Nok Art is the earliest known attempt at “Nigerian portraiture” which came to prominence in 1928 bywhen a British Col. J Dent Young on a tin mining operation in Nok a small village in Jos Plateau state discovered a small terracotta head. Years later several other Nok sculptures mostly of human heads and were discovered to have similarities in style by archaeologist Bernard Fagg of the Jos Museum and ever since Nok art had been globally recognized as the first known use of iron for portraiture in Sub-Saharan Africa (dating as far back as 1400 BC) making them extremely rare and highly priced artworks.

So it’s not surprising therefore why so many people make a profession of stealing Nok art to sell off in the international art market. The good news is that some of these stolen artworks have be found and for the first time ever, they’ve been returned to Nigeria.

The French Government on January 30th officially returned 5 stolen Nok sculptures seized by French Customs at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris by a French Citizen who had purchased the sculptures illegally from art dealers and also to return them to their place of origin – Nigeria. The event “Official handing over of the seized 5 African Terracotta Sculptures of Nok” took place at the Reiz Continental Hotel in Abuja.

Among dignitaries who graced the occasion were the minister for tourism High Chief Edem Duke, The French Ambassador to Nigeria - Mr. Jacques Champagne de Labriolle - among others.

http://www.abujafood.com/abuja-events/dawn/1116-five-seized-nok-sculptures-returned-to-the-ncmm-by-the-french-embassy.html

Returned to be re-sold again for sure.

Offtopic,I drove past someplace at CMS and saw this sign,Center for African arts Civilization.Who have been there and why do African arts need civilization.

ifyalways: Returned to be re-sold again for sure.

Offtopic,I drove past someplace at CMS and saw this sign,Center for African arts Civilization.Who have been there and why do African arts need civilization.

Your guess is as good as mine!