In an apparent capitulation to vocal environmental and climate change activists, the English Museum would end its 27-year partnership with BP, formerly known as British Petroleum, at the end of the year.
The museum has not officially confirmed the end of their deal with the fossil fuel company, but BP’s last contract with the museum ended in February after five years. Disclosures obtained by lawyers for the militant group Unstained culture via freedom of information requests show that “certain conditions” of the agreement mean that the museum allows BP to keep its “supporter benefits” until December.
“BP is a valuable long-term supporter of the museum and our current partnership continues until this year,” a British Museum spokesperson told Artnet News in an email. The latest company-sponsored exhibit, “Hieroglyphs: Unlocking Ancient Egypt,” closed in February.
Nonetheless, it’s a “massive win,” said Culture Unstained co-director Chris Garrard. Guardian, who broke the news first. “If it is serious about responding to the climate crisis, the museum must now confirm that there will be no future relationships with fossil fuel producers, remove the BP name from its amphitheater and categorically reject the business of destruction of the climate it represents.”
Climate change activists demonstrate outside the British Museum. Photo: Diana More, courtesy of BP or not BP?
In December, the British Museum announced its ambition to become a net zero carbon museum, aided by its £1bn ($1.24bn) ‘Rosetta Project’ to upgrade its 170-year-old building. At the annual Trustees’ Dinner, President George Osbourne proclaimed that the institution “would no longer be [be] a destination for climate protest but rather an example of a climate solution.
For decades, BP has been deeply rooted in the British art world through its philanthropic giving to institutions such as the Tate and the National Portrait Galleryboth in London.
But in recent years, such partnerships have sparked controversy for museumswith militant groups such as BP or no BP?And green peace organize disruptive demonstrations calling on institutions not to accept funds from the company due to the negative environmental impact of big oil companies.
From more notable events in the British Museum were revelers dressed as greek gods who poured oil on themselves at the 2019 opening of an exhibition on the ancient city of Troy, and camp in front of the exhibition in a Trojan horse.
Star of “From Nope to Hope, part two”, the anti-BP octopus, was smuggled into the British Museum. Photo: Ron Fassbender
Slowly but surely, museums across the country began to bow to pressure to break with BP. The Tate accepted stop taking BP donations in 2016, ending a 26-year-old arrangement, and the National Galleries of Scotland announced that they stop hosting the BP Portrait Exhibition in 2019, in response to a letter of protest from 80 renowned artists. The National Portrait Gallery, which organizes the exhibition, finally agreed to drop BP as a sponsor in 2022, after more than 30 years.
But even if other institutions such as the scottish ballet and the London Royal Opera pulled themselves out of the relationship with BP – and one of its directors resigned in protest— from the British Museum links with the company persisted. In 2019, Chairman of the Trustees Richard Lambert said that accepting private funding from companies like BP was a financial necessity— without mounting an ethical defense of working with a fossil fuel company.
Now, following a a series of even more dramatic weather events who saw militants stick to the frames of the works And throw food to the glass-covered paintings, it seems the museum has quietly changed course. This means that the only major museum in the country that still has BP as a donor is the London Science Museum education academy, according to the art diary.
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