The exhibition of Beninese art in museums and galleries reflects European attitudes and perceptions towards non-Western art objects , especially Africans. Thus, as European attitudes toward non-Western art have evolved since the discovery of Beninese art in 1897, Beninese art has been reevaluated and recategorized. Initially, there were many debates about Beninese art and its presentation, because it did not correspond to the perceptions we then had of Africa. Until the British conquest of Benin in 1897, little was known about Benin and its culture, apart from brief interactions with other Europeans in the 16th century. The perception of Africa was that of a primitive, savage and uncivilized land, full of “abuses, fetishes and idolatries” (Hodgkin, 1975, p. 33). Therefore, when the British invaded Benin, they treated any items they found as "spoils of war" (Woods, 2008, p. 30) and sold anything of any value to pay for shipping. They removed objects and artwork without recording any contextual evidence of form or function. These ideas are evident in the photographs of figures 1.10 on page 31, 2.2 on page 50 in Cultural Encounters (AA100, Book 3) and in plate 3.1.14 of the Book of Illustrations: Plates for Books 3 and 4 where the artifacts are grouped in piles with centralized white figures suggesting only the British triumph (Loftus, 2008). The 'intelligent workmanship' (Gallewey, 1893b, p37) and 'delicacy of detail' (Bacon, 1897, p39) attest to the quality of the artwork and subsequent bidding by rival museums and galleries for the pieces have not prevented the perception that Africa, and therefore Benin, is considered barbaric and primitive. The debate was how such a barbaric society could produce such sophisticated works of art. The quality of Benin bronzes, based on...... middle of paper...... Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 45-58Mackie, R. (2008), 'The Art of the Benin: Changing Relations between Europe and Africa I: The Conquest of Benin in the 1890s', in Brown, R (ed.), Cultural Encounters (AA100 Book3), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 16-32Pike, J. (2008), “Cultural Encounters and Cultural Exemptions”, in Brown, R (ed.), Cultural Encounters (AA100 Book3), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 16-32. 90-122Wood, P (2008), 'The Art of the Benin: Changing Relations between Europe and Africa II: The Benin Bronzes and Modern Art', in Brown, R (ed.), Cultural Encounters (AA100 Book3), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp.58-78 Woods, K (2008), “The Art of Benin: Changing Relations between Europe and Africa I: The Art of Benin” , in Brown, R (ed.), Cultural Encounters (AA100 Book3), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp.4-16