User:Digitally Restored Benin Bronzes

Digitally Restored Benin Bronzes (also known as AI-Restored Benin Bronzes) is a conceptual art restoration project conceived by artist Minne Atairu. It consists of photographs of damaged Benin Bronzes—each restored using DALL·E 2 (Open AI's Text-to-Image algorithm). These damages, a result of natural degradation over centuries, colonial looting, and subsequent conservation attempts include cracked surfaces, missing or detached parts and corrosive elements. In order to restore each Benin Bronze, Atairu prompted DALL·E 2 to repair missing parts, remove cracks and recreate deteriorated surfaces.

All images were obtained from museum websites and are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International.

Image	Description	Restoration Notes	Museum	Obtained from URL
	AI-Restored Bronze Plaque, 1501–1600	Replaced missing regions around the periphery	Ethnologisches Museum der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin. Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz	https://www.cp3c.org/benin-bronzes/object.php?o=716
	AI-Restored Bronze Plaque depicting the Iyase of Benin, 1501–1600	Replaced missing regions around the upper and lower periphery	Ethnologisches Museum der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin. Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz	https://www.cp3c.org/benin-bronzes/object.php?o=797
	AI-Restored Bronze Head, Queen Idia, 1501–1600	Restored regions bordering the rectangular stand	Ethnologisches Museum der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin. Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz	https://www.cp3c.org/benin-bronzes/object.php?o=797
	Bronze Head, sculpture	Replaced missing parts of the forehead(top-right)	Ethnologisches Museum der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin. Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz	https://www.cp3c.org/benin-bronzes/object.php?o=996
	Relief wood plaque	Restored charred region located on the top-right	Museum am Rothenbaum. Kulturen und Künste der Welt (MARKK)	https://www.cp3c.org/benin-bronzes/object.php?o=522
	Cast pendant mask, Iyoba Idia, 1940-1950 Reproduction	Restored neck ornamentation located on the bottom-left	The British Museum	https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_CRS-48
	Head of an Oba, 16th century	Restored sections of the beaded cap	The Metropolitan Museum of Art	https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/312290?sortBy=Relevance&ft=Edo+artist&offset=0&rpp=40&pos=5
	Head of an Oba, ca. 1550	Replaced missing pupil (left eye) and indentation on the nose	The Metropolitan Museum of Art	https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/310766?sortBy=Relevance&ft=Edo+artist&offset=120&rpp=40&pos=141
	Commemorative head, made of terracotta	Mismatched extension (from past restoration attempts?) on the neck was replaced with a coral bead necklace	The British Museum	https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1954-23-281
	Commemorative head, made of terracotta	Mismatched extension (from past restoration attempts?) on the neck was replaced with a coral bead necklace	The British Museum	https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1954-23-281
	Commemorative head, carved in reddish wood;	Significantly improved surface decay	The British Museum	https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1993-02-22

Category:Benin Empire Category:Benin bronzes Category:Benin bronzes in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Category:British Museum Category:Benin City