Activists warn of ethical ‘loopholes’ in cultural corporate sponsorship 

Two prominent cultural institutions in London have come under scrutiny over the ethical robustness of their corporate sponsorship. 

The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is facing complaints from environmental campaigners for accepting support from law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, which represents clients from the energy sector, including Chevron and BP, as well as Bank of America, a fossil fuel funder.

On Monday, the gallery announced that Herbert Smith Freehills would be the new sponsor for its £35,000 portrait prize, formerly the BP Portrait Award. 

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NPG was sponsored by BP for over 30 years but severed ties with the oil and gas giant last year. The British Museum, Tate, National Portrait Gallery, Scottish Ballet and Royal Opera House have all also recently ended their relationships with the firm, which currently funds the Science Museum’s educational academy.

NPG director Nicholas Cullinan told The Times the organisation had  “red lines” over who it would accept money from but was wary of being viewed as an "activist" which could "[put] off other people wanting to support museums”.

In response, Chris Garrard, co-director of Culture Unstained, said to The Guardian: “In recent years, the cultural sector has shown real leadership in cutting ties to major polluters such as BP and Shell, but now our ‘red lines’ must be robust enough to ensure that we don’t leave loopholes for those that are also embedded into their destructive business plans,”

Culture Workers Against Genocide

Sadler's Wells has also received renewed criticism this week for its relationship with Barclays. The group Culture Workers Against Genocide has written an open letter with 726 signatories to the London dance company accusing the bank of investing in Israeli arms companies.

Urging Sadler's Wells to consider its "ethical position", the group stresses the "growing demand for accountability within the culture industry", calling for "dialogue" with management. CWAG said that among the signatories were four artistic directors and two executive directors.

In recent years, campaigners, including Mark Rylance, have written to Sadler’s Wells, calling for it to engage in “sustainable arts sponsorship” and labelling Barclays “the largest financier of fossil fuel extraction in Europe”.