The Metropolitan Museum of Art has dropped the Sackler name from seven exhibition spaces in the building following concerns about the family’s role in the opioid crisis.
The Met in New York City announced the move in a joint statement with the Sackler family on December 9. The family’s company Purdue Pharma is the manufacturer of opioid medication OxyContin.
“Our families have always strongly supported The Met, and we believe this to be in the best interest of the museum and the important mission that it serves,” descendants of Mortimer Sackler and Raymond Sackler said in a statement.
“The earliest of these gifts were made almost fifty years ago, and now we are passing the torch to others who might wish to step forward to support the museum.”
Sackler name dropped from exhibition spaces
Exhibition spaces that no longer carry the Sackler name include the Sackler Wing, opened in 1978. It featured the Sackler Gallery for Egyptian Art, the Temple of Dendur and the Sackler Wing Galleries.
Dan Weiss, president and CEO of The Met, said: “The Met has been built by the philanthropy of generations of donors, and the Sacklers have been among our most generous supporters.”
“This gracious gesture by the Sacklers aids the museum in continuing to serve this and future generations,” Weiss added. “We greatly appreciate it.”
The Louvre Museum in Paris removed the Sackler name from a major wing dedicated to Oriental antiquities back in 2019, becoming the first major institution to do so.
In the same year, The Met said it would no longer take donations from the Sackler family because of the company’s “production of opioids and the ensuing health crisis surrounding the abuse of these medications”.
Images: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
