National Portrait Gallery ends BP partnership
A joint statement confirmed the contract won't be renewed
BP's sponsorship of the National Portrait Gallery in London is ending, following protests against the agreement.
The two sides have issued a joint statement saying their partnership won't be renewed when it comes to an end in December.
Nicholas Cullinan, director of the National Portrait Gallery, said: "The Gallery is hugely grateful to BP for its long-term support of the BP Portrait Award.
"Its funding for the Award has fostered creativity, encouraged portrait painting for over 30 years and given a platform to artists from around the world, as well as providing inspiration and enjoyment for audiences across 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."
Louise Kingham, a senior vice-president of BP, said: "We are immensely proud of our role in championing British arts and culture for over 30 years, but the BP of today is a very different company from when we first started our partnership with the National Portrait Gallery.
"As we transition to become net-zero by 2050 and help the world get there too, we must look at new ways to best use our talent, experience, and resources."
The group Culture Unstained has described the announcement as a major win for the campaign against fossil fuel sponsorship.
The Royal Shakespeare Company and National Galleries Scotland have already severed ties with BP, while the National Theatre cut links with Shell.
The debate surrounding corporate sponsorship of the arts by oil companies has intensified in recent years, with actor Sir Mark Rylance resigning from the Royal Shakespeare Company in June 2019 in protest over its sponsorship by BP.
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