Holloway Makes Inaugural TIME100 Art List Over Push To Reclaim Nigeria’s Looted Heritage

Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Olugbile Holloway, has been named among the inaugural TIME100 Art list, earning international recognition for his role in efforts to secure the return of Nigeria’s cultural heritage held abroad.

Holloway was listed in the Leaders category of the 2026 TIME100 Art, a new initiative by TIME magazine recognising influential figures across the global art ecosystem, including museum leaders, collectors, curators, cultural policymakers, dealers and heritage advocates.

His inclusion comes against the backdrop of renewed international efforts to return cultural objects taken from Nigeria during the colonial era, particularly the Benin Bronzes looted following the British invasion of Benin City in 1897.

Since his appointment as NCMM Director-General by President Bola Tinubu in March 2024, Holloway has been involved in negotiations surrounding the restitution of Nigerian artefacts from institutions and collections outside the country.

One of the major breakthroughs came in 2025, when the Netherlands returned 119 Benin artefacts to Nigeria.

The restitution agreement, signed in February 2025 between the Dutch government and the NCMM, provided for the unconditional return of 113 objects from the Dutch State Collection and six from the City of Rotterdam. The artefacts were physically returned to Nigeria in June 2025 following provenance research into their acquisition.

Another significant development occurred in February 2026 when the University of Cambridge formally transferred ownership of 116 Benin artefacts from its Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology to Nigeria.

The collection, comprising mainly brass works as well as ivory and wooden objects, was associated with the 1897 British expedition against Benin.

The Cambridge agreement followed a formal restitution request submitted by the NCMM in January 2022 and subsequent approval by the university and the UK Charity Commission.

While the agreement transferred legal ownership of the objects to Nigeria, the physical return of most of the artefacts was to be arranged subsequently. A small number are expected to remain at Cambridge on loan for display, teaching and research.

The developments involving the Netherlands and Cambridge have placed Nigeria’s cultural restitution campaign more prominently within international debates about ownership, custody, conservation and the future display of objects removed during the colonial period.

However, major challenges remain, particularly in negotiations involving institutions whose legal frameworks restrict permanent restitution.

The British Museum, which holds a significant collection of Benin objects acquired following the 1897 invasion, remains one of the institutions at the centre of the restitution debate. British legislation places restrictions on the museum’s ability to permanently dispose of objects from its collection.

Holloway’s recognition by TIME therefore comes at a period when the question of restitution has expanded beyond the physical return of artefacts to broader discussions involving international law, museum governance, cultural diplomacy and the rights of communities connected to displaced heritage.

The inaugural TIME100 Art list also reflects TIME’s decision to recognise the wider network of people shaping the art world rather than focusing exclusively on practising artists.

Painter Amy Sherald features on the worldwide cover of the inaugural issue, while half of those selected are described as figures working outside traditional artistic practice.

TIME is expected to host its inaugural TIME100 Impact Dinner: Leaders Shaping the Future of Art in New York City on October 5, bringing together figures featured on the list and other leading personalities from the global art and cultural sector.

For Nigeria, Holloway’s inclusion places the country’s long-running campaign for the recovery of looted cultural heritage within a major international platform, even as negotiations over Nigerian artefacts in museums and private collections around the world continue.