CommentFunding
Museums will need ethical funders all the more after the coronavirus crisis
As institutions reopen their doors to a world that has changed significantly, public scrutiny of private money is not going away
NewsInterview
The mechanics of sponsorship in 2020: an interview with Rena De Sisto, the head of Bank of America’s arts and culture programme
‘We help museums do what they do best’ says the executive who oversees the company’s support of international institutions
NewsPrizes
Artist Gary Hume says National Portrait Gallery should 'bite the bullet' and cut ties with oil giant BP
Fuel company's decision to withdraw from the BP Portrait Award judging panel was a missed opportunity to end sponsorship relationship, artist believes
NewsFunding
Fossil-fuel giant Shell ends its support of London's Southbank Centre
Decision comes amidst pressure from activist groups for UK museums to end their oil sponsorship deals
NewsSponsorship
Climate activists take over British Museum in all-night protest against BP sponsorship
Organisers of the three-day action, the group BP or not BP?, called it the "largest protest in the history of the museum"
Podcast
Troy: the show and the problem with BP sponsorship
We talk about the myth and reality of Troy presented in the British Museum's show and to an activist about ongoing protests relating to fossil-fuel companies' sponsorship of the arts. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.
NewsSponsorship
Why is the British Museum still accepting tobacco sponsorship?
London institution has acquired 600 objects thanks to funding from Japan Tobacco International, makers of Benson & Hedges, Winston, Camel and Silk Cut
NewsProtest
Demonstrators take over British Museum in biggest-ever protest against oil sponsorships
Event, organised by grassroots climate justice group BP or not BP?, highlighted relationship between oil companies and war in Iraq
NewsOpenings
Deutsche Bank to open Berlin art centre Palais Populaire in September
First exhibition will show around 300 works on paper from the bank’s vast corporate collection
FeatureArt Basel 2018
Are art awards really worth winning?
Winning a prize can give an artist international exposure, but the question of who really benefits—critically and commercially—is an increasingly vexed one
NewsExhibitions
Artists pull out of Great Exhibition of the North over arms dealer sponsorship
Group launches petition calling for arts festival to refuse backing from BAE Systems accused of “profiteering from the deaths of innocent children”
NewsArt Basel in Miami Beach
Shortlist announced for BMW Art Journey prize
Winner is to be announced early next year
ArchiveFebruary 2015
Comment: The Tate should take BP’s money—and ask for more
Protests about the gallery’s lack of transparency concerning the energy company's sponsorship miss the point of how big business and the arts interact
ArchiveArt Basel
Deutsche Bank to back Art Basel Hong Kong
But usual sponsor UBS still keen on fair
ArchiveJanuary 2011
Is the symbiosis between corporations and the arts an outmoded tradition?
Investment in art has become less popular among US companies when more commercial options are available
ArchiveMuseums
Dara Birnbaum comments on fostering the museum-sponsor relationship
Can a balance be found whereby both parties stand to gain from a partnership?
ArchiveSweden
Swedish expert claims more women in positions of influence will lead to better arts funding
Pernilla Warberg says female bosses prefer culture to football
ArchiveJanuary 2009
UK museums manage dearth of exhibition sponsorship in the wake of economic downturn
Institutions must grit their teeth and hope for the intervention of private investors, as several large shows are going ahead without corporate sponsors
ArchiveArt fairs
The trouble with art fairs: curators, collectors and dealers are starting to feel fatigued
As the sheer number of annual events continues to grow, fair fatigue has become a common condition
ArchiveVictoria & Albert Museum
V&A opens its £5.4m Islamic gallery
The new display is entirely funded by the Jameel family of Saudi Arabia
ArchiveUnilever
Unilever withdraws sponsorship fearing the brand would be presented as homophobic
Art or publicity stunt?
ArchiveTate Modern
New installation for Tate Modern courtesy of UBS
The first rehang of the Bankside branch relies on funds provided by UBS - with conditions
ArchiveJuly 2005
Future of US museum sponsorship in question after split of tobacco giant Altria
The Whitney and the Brooklyn Museum could lose annual grants from the conglomerate, which gave $300m to charitable organisations over the past five years
ArchiveSalvador Dalí
The $2.6 million Dalí circus comes to town: No-holds-barred promotion of exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
A credit card company has spearheaded the massive publicity campaign for the centennial retrospective
ArchiveVictoria & Albert Museum
Saudi donor gives V&A £5.4 million for new Islamic gallery
Jameel Gallery to be funded by car dealership Hartwell PLC
ArchiveLauder Initiative
Restoration of Italian works sponsored by makeup giant
Estée Lauder makeover for Santa Cecilia
ArchiveRestoration
Less is more with Lauder restoration
Several works subject to restoration paid for by Estée Lauder
ArchiveSponsorship
US company mergers may result in sponsorship shrinkage
Standing out from the crowd with art sponsorship becomes unnecessary, as more and more of America's biggest corporations unify
ArchiveOctober 1994
Corporations favour political correctness
Arts sponsorship is increasingly associated with marketing concerns rather than disinterested corporate philanthropy
ArchiveOctober 1994
Has the recession spelled the end of arts sponsorships by French companies, or just wiser spending?
Admical offers a number of explanations as to why figures have declined
ArchiveInstitute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London
ICA becomes first UK arts centre to enter into title sponsorship with Toshiba agreement
In exchange for the monetary support the car company will provide, all ICA branding will include their logo
ArchiveVictoria & Albert Museum
Fashion on Video at the V&A
Sponsored by designer Pierre Cardin
ArchiveBooks
Guide to procuring arts sponsorship published
The text includes illustrative examples alongside practical advice
ArchiveVictoria & Albert Museum
Korean art at the V&A
New space sponsored by Samsung corporation
ArchiveCorporate sponsors
United Technologies’ strategic withdrawal
Corporation to drop arts sponsorship programme
ArchiveRauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange
The Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange ends its six year world tour at the National Gallery, Washington
“One-to-one contact through art contains potent peaceful powers”, says artist
ArchiveVictoria & Albert Museum
New gallery of Korean Art at the V&A
A space for over 600 decorative arts objects
ArchiveFunding
Business Committee for the Arts survey suggests that US recession will not reduce art sponsorship
Corporations' trust in art as a tool for generating publicity has not wavered
ArchiveTurner Prize
Turner Prize in turmoil as last year's winner Long exhibits at the Tate
Serota seeks new sponsor for embattled competition
Commentcoronavirus
Business can and should help the arts through this crisis
The pandemic has laid bare the betrayal of the cultural sector, but corporations and individuals can alleviate the hardship
Thomas Girst