The British Museum has become the latest cultural institution to remove the Sackler name from galleries and rooms supported by the family accused of making a profit from the US opioid epidemic.
In a statement, the British Museum in London said it has reached an agreement with the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Foundation to remove the Sackler name from any galleries, rooms and endowments supported by the foundation.
“The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Foundation first supported the British Museum over thirty years ago and has long admired its work,” the foundation’s trustees said in the statement.
“As the museum develops a new masterplan to transform for the future, we feel this decision comes at a unique moment in the museum’s evolution.”
“The British Museum is grateful for the foundation’s past support, and the trustees appreciate their co-operation in coming to this agreement as we now move the museum into a new era and present our incredible collections in different ways for new audiences,” said George Osborne, the museum’s chair.
British Museum moving into “new era”
The British Museum said it has no plans to remove any other names from the building “at this time”. The institution also said it has “no plans to review other relationships” with supporters.
The museum received funding from the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Foundation between the 1990s and 2013, with the funding supporting galleries, education facilities and research activity.
“There has been no request for the return of any funds,” the British Museum said. The name will be removed “carefully over a period of time to protect the fabric of the estate”.
The Sackler family’s company Purdue Pharma is the manufacturer of opioid medication OxyContin. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art previously dropped the name from seven exhibition spaces in the building.
The Louvre in Paris removed the Sackler name from a major wing in 2019, becoming the first major institution to do so. Tate is also distancing itself from the family.
Images: British Museum
