Why is the National Portrait Gallery cutting ties with BP?

When is money so soiled that merely accepting it makes you tainted? It has been reported today that the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) and Scottish Ballet are ending their sponsorship deals with the oil and gas company BP following years of protests. Climate activists argue that these sponsorships launder the reputations of those responsible for despoiling the planet.

BP has long been a significant arts sponsor; the NPG’s annual portrait exhibition has been supported by the company since 1989. And in 2016 BP announced renewed sponsorship deals with the British Museum, NPG, the Royal Opera House and the Royal Shakespeare Company, pledging a total of £7.5 million over five years, starting in 2018.

At the time a climate activist campaigning against arts institutions – and indeed all museums – accepting funds from fossil fuel companies argued that ‘the new deals will not last five years’ because of increasing protests. Facing this pressure the RSC announced that it was ending its relationship with BP at the end of 2019 and now the NPG has followed suit.