Digital Editions
Newsletters
Subscribe
Digital Editions
Newsletters
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
November 1997
archive

Italy will return Axum obelisk to Ethiopia

The act is part of a considerable effort to erase Mussolini’s mark on the nation

The Art Newspaper
1 November 1997
Share
Axum Obelisk in Rome

Axum Obelisk in Rome

The powers that be in Italy today have gone to considerable efforts to erase Mussolini’s mark on their nation. One of the most glaring testaments to the dictator’s imperialist aspirations, the Axum obelisk looted from Ethiopia in 1936 and erected in Rome the following year, is now to be returned to Ethiopia. Shortly after his occupation of Addis Abbaba, Mussolini ordered the seizure of one of the famous fourth century AD obelisks at the ancient Ethiopian city of Axum. The finely sculptured stelae, measuring 28 metres in height, was duly transported to Rome and erected in front of the Ministry of Italian Africa (today the headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation) on 28 October 1937 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Fascist March on Rome. The move to return the monument follows years of lobbying from Ethiopia. In 1992 campaigners organised a televised demonstration held during an international football match in Addis Abbaba when 40,000 football fans chanted “Let it return”. The obelisk has been kept in Rome in defiance of Article 37 of the 1947 Peace Treaty in which Italy agreed to return all looted objects to Ethiopia. Now Italy has agreed to clean the obelisk and to cover the costs of its transport which are expected to be high as the monument weighs over 400 tonnes. It is to be returned in December.

November 1997RestitutionAntiquities & ArchaeologyMonumentsMonuments and their histories
Share
Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox.
Newsletter sign-up
Information
About
Contact
Cookie policy
Data protection
Privacy policy
Frequently Asked Questions
Subscription T&Cs
Terms and conditions
Advertise
Sister Papers
Sponsorship policy
Follow us
Instagram
Bluesky
LinkedIn
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube
© The Art Newspaper

Related content

Restitutionarchive
30 September 1992

Ethiopian football fans demand return of Axum obelisk looted by Mussolini

Official campaign for restitution of sculptured stele

The Art Newspaper
Restitutionarchive
1 April 2001

Will Mussolini’s looted monument finally go home?

After 54 years of procrastination, the Italian government could be close to returning the Axum obelisk to Ethiopia

The Art Newspaper
Restitutionarchive
1 April 1998

Will the Axum obelisk return home to Ethiopia?

The return may be even more complicated than during the Fascist era

Vincenzo Vincenzo Francaviglia