BP sparks campaigners' fury with new arts sponsorship deals

Campaigners have promised to escalate protests at some of the UK’s biggest arts organisations after BP announced a £7.5m renewal of sponsorship deals.

BP said it was continuing its sponsorship of the British Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Opera House and the Royal Shakespeare Company in new partnerships that would last five years.

The company’s sponsorship of the arts has proved controversial, with campaigners staging numerous protests, objecting to the cultural promotion of an oil company. It was announced earlier this year that longstanding deals with Tate and Edinburgh international festival would not be renewed.

But Thursday’s announcement means, for example, that BP’s 27-year sponsorship of the NPG’s hugely popular portrait award will continue for the next five years.

Peter Mather, head of BP in the UK and Europe, said the company was proud to renew its partnerships. “Our industry is going through a period of rebalancing, but our commitment to the UK and to our partners is for the long term. Our continued support will enable these institutions to forward-plan engaging, educational and powerful exhibitions and performances that will be enjoyed by millions here in the UK and beyond.”

The news was condemned by campaigners, who have been staging peaceful, artistic protests against the sponsorship for several years.

Chris Garrard, a spokesperson for the campaign group BP or Not BP, which began stage-invading protests at the RSC in 2012 and has held 18 performance protests at the British Museum, said: “This will be a hugely unpopular move and wildly out of touch with the mood across the cultural sector.

“At a time when the world needs to urgently shift away from fossil fuels, the idea that these institutions will still be promoting an oil company into the 2020s is deeply irresponsible. As the devastating effects of climate change become ever more apparent, this decision will look more shortsighted with every passing day.”

Anna Galkina, of the campaign group Platform London, said protests would escalate as a result of the renewals. “BP is ripping off our cultural institutions – their sponsorship provides less than 0.5% of the British Museum’s budget. With this pocket change, BP buys legitimacy, access to invaluable advertising space, and masks its role in destroying indigenous lands, arming dictatorships and wrecking our climate.

“The museums help BP do that. That’s why art interventions and protests against BP will go on. The new deals will not last five years.”

The arts organisations all released statements welcoming the new deals. Hartwig Fischer, director of the British Museum, said the organisation was grateful to the oil company. “BP has supported the British Museum for the past 20 years, which has enabled the museum to host magnificent exhibitions and events with a great public benefit.”

Alex Beard, chief executive of the ROH, said: “BP has been and remains at the forefront of corporate investment in arts and culture in the UK, and it’s wonderful for the Royal Opera House to have their commitment for a further five years.

“One of the benefits of such long-term support is that you can really build and develop a partnership, and to have the BP Big Screen programme consistently providing opportunities for people up and down the country to access world-class ballet and opera for free is fantastic.”

Catherine Mallyon, executive director of the RSC, said: “BP’s sponsorship of our £5 ticket scheme for 16- to 25-year-olds gives many young people the chance to see our work. The scheme is highly valued by our audiences and helps us establish lifetime enthusiasts for Shakespeare and live theatre. Since 2013, we have sold over 62,000 tickets thanks to BP’s support.”

Nicholas Cullinan, director of the NPG, said: “We are extremely grateful for and proud of this ongoing partnership, for such longevity and loyalty is unique in corporate sponsorship. At a time when funding for public institutions is increasingly stretched, the support of the arts that BP provides is vital.”

BP said it was investing £7.5m in a range of projects with the four organisations over the next five years. This follows the £10m, five-year deals it announced with Tate, the British Museum, the NPG and the ROH in 2011.

As well as protests, campaigners have gone to court to force Tate to release information on precisely how much money it has received from BP over the years. They have also obtained internal documents under the Freedom of Information Act, which they claim show institutions bending to accommodate the demands of BP.

A spokesman for the Museums Association said its ethics committee had discussed the matter and would be publishing a statement soon. But he added that the association was there to provide advice and guidance on ethical issues and was not investigating any breach. “That suggests we have a quasi-legal system, which we don’t.”