London, after more than 30 years ends collaboration between National Portrait Gallery and BP

The National Portrait Gallery in London will give up its money from BP, British Petroleum, Britain’s big oil company: in the past few hours, the museum and the company have in fact announced that their historic partnership, which has lasted for more than 30 years, will not be extended beyond December 2022, when the contract expires. The decision was in the air: the British cultural world no longer sees eye to eye with the oil companies’ support of museums, and there are already museums that have decided to opt out.

In fact, in 2019, it was the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh that had announced a halt to its partnership with BP because of climate change concerns. And there have been many protests from environmental activists aimed at London museums that still have a partnership with BP in place, such as the British Museum: in early 2020, some environmentalists had even staged a protest by dressing up as Achaeans complete with a Trojan horse.

Over the course of the partnership between BP and the National Portrait Gallery, many important initiatives have been realized: think of the Gallery’s Portrait Award, one of the longest-running cultural events in London, which, thanks precisely to the resources provided by BP, has enabled more than six million visitors to benefit from free admission to the exhibition and has helped develop the careers of more than 1,500 portrait painters, from aspiring young painters to established professionals. The announcement of the end of the collaboration comes after deep reflection on the strategies of both parties involved.

“We are immensely proud of the role we have played in championing British arts and culture for more than 30 years,” says Louise Kingham, BP’s European vice president and UK head of Countru, “but today’s BP is a very different company from when we began our partnership with the National Portrait Gallery. As we move to achieve net zero by 2050 and also help the world get there, we have to look for new ways to make the best use of our talent, experience, and resources. What the National Portrait Gallery continues to provide and show to the public is exceptional, and we could not be more honored to have helped support this. We have always enjoyed a close partnership and wish the museum every success in the future.”

“The National Portrait Gallery,” says its director Nicholas Cullinan, “is extremely grateful to BP for its long-term support of the BP Portrait Award. Funding the Award has fostered creativity, encouraged portraiture for over 30 years, and provided a platform for artists from around the world, as well as providing inspiration and entertainment to audiences throughout the UK. The Gallery is committed to working with artists and continuing to promote portraiture, and we look forward to developing the future Portrait Award as we plan for our reopening in 2023.” In fact, the museum has been closed since 2019 for construction.

BP’s current sponsorship of the BP Portrait Award also ends in 2022. The BP Portrait Award was not organized in 2021, nor will it be in 2022, because the National Portrait Gallery building at St Martin’s Place is closed for redevelopment. The funds that BP made available and that were not used for the awards will go to support the museum’s work.

Pictured is a room in the National Portrait Gallery.

London, after more than 30 years ends collaboration between National Portrait Gallery and BP

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