Sponsorship

The arts patron Sir Leonard Blavatnik, who donated a record £50m to Tate Modern for its 2016 extension, is facing criticism for his investment in the Israeli broadcaster Channel 13.

On Sunday, the British-Israeli group WeDemocracy protested outside Tate Modern's Blavatnik Building, calling on the Ukraine-born UK billionaire to "stop the attack on the free press".

The group believes that Blavatnik, who has a majority stake in the broadcaster through his company Access Industries, is complicit in the recent appointment of former politician Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich as its Chief Executive.

Soon after Shamalov-Berkovich’s appointment, an investigative news programme known for its criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration was cancelled.

The liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz said in an editorial that taking the show off air was “purely a political decision, contravening all financial and journalistic logic”.

Speaking to The Guardian, WeDemocracy member, Aviel Lewis, said Blavatnik was involved in “something that is clearly taking Israeli media years back and corrupting it”.

A spokesperson for Access Industries said: “Sir Leonard Blavatnik believes in the importance of press freedom in Israel and across the world.

"He has invested a significant amount of money in Israel’s Channel 13 to safeguard its existence and secure the future of free, impartial journalism. The channel has never had a political agenda – as is the law in Israel – and he has never had editorial input.

“It is categorically not the case that Sir Leonard appointed the CEO of News. The decision as to who runs Channel 13 News is a matter for its independent board on which Sir Leonard has no role.”

The Science Museum has confirmed its sponsorship deal with Norwegian oil and gas producer Equinor has ended.

Equinor had sponsored the museum’s Wonderlab gallery for children since 2016.

In a blog, the museum’s Chair, Sir Tim Laurence, said that “those we partner with must demonstrate that they are moving with sufficient urgency along the transition pathway to meet our aspirations”. 

Emails disclosed to campaign organisation Culture Unstained following a Freedom of Information request show Equinor had been contacted several times after it was concluded that Equinor’s business was not aligned with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, a threshold set by the museum for its corporate sponsors.

In July 2022, the museum’s sponsors were notified of the criteria set by the museum expecting partners to achieve alignment with the Paris 1.5˚ pathway by the end of March 2024.

Culture Unstained Co-Director Chris Garrard called the end of the sponsorship a “seismic shift”. “After years of mounting pressure, the Science Museum has now adopted red lines on climate change which have led to Equinor being dropped,” he said.

The announcement has brought about refreshed calls for the Science Museum to also end its sponsorship ties with oil giant BP and Indian coal mining conglomerate Adani.

“With BP also failing to align its business with Paris Agreement goals and Adani the world’s biggest private producer of coal, the museum must now hold these companies to the same standard and stop promoting their toxic brands,” Garrard added.

National Galleries of Scotland (NSG) has put out a statement online saying will continue its relationship with sponsor Baillie Gifford.

Acknowledging it was "a complex issue," the NSG statement said “we are confident that the funding we receive from Baillie Gifford meets our strong ethical standards”.

The statement continued: “As a cultural organisation the National Galleries of Scotland offers a space for artists to share experiences and perspectives with others, encouraging discussion and understanding of the world we live in.

“This is one of the main ways we can positively impact society, but it needs to be funded. We deliver a world-class programme of exhibitions, events, engagement and outreach which just wouldn’t be possible without support from partners like Baillie Gifford.”

Baillie Gifford, a Scottish investment management company, has been criticised for its links to the fossil fuel industry and to Israel's war in Gaza.

Recents protests againt Baillie Gifford by climate activists - Fossil Free Books - led to the abrupt cancellation of partnerships with multiple book festivals including Hay, Cheltenham Literature Festival and Edinburget International Book Festival. 

Last month Scotland's John Swinney accused climate activists of damaging Scotland’s cultural events by demanding organisations to reject sponsorship deals.

The Edinburgh Fringe has also said it would keep Baillie Gifford as a sponsor. 

More than 100 performers have cancelled appearances at the Great Escape music festival in Brighton in protest over claims that event sponsor Barclays Bank has increased its investment in arms companies that trade with Israel.

According to a report in The Guardian, 120 acts, around a quarter of those booked, have now backed out of performing as part of a campaign led by activist group Bands Boycott Barclays.

In April, the group sent an open letter signed by hundreds of musicians, including Massive Attack, Idles, and Eno, calling for Barclays to drop as the festival's partner.

A spokesperson for Bands Boycott Barclays said: “Barclays is bankrolling the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and then laundering its reputation by partnering with music festivals like the Great Escape. As musicians, we think that’s despicable.”

Barclays noted a previous statement from its annual general meeting: “Barclays is not a ‘shareholder’ or ‘investor’ … in relation to these companies. We trade in shares of listed companies in response to client instruction or demand, and that may result in us holding shares.”

Environmental campaigners are calling on architects not to take part in a contest to redesign around a third of the British Museum following a controversial £50m sponsorship deal with BP that will fund the redevelopment.

The boycott is backed by the Architects Declare network, the Section of Architectural Workers trade union, now part of Unite, and Future Architects Front (FAF).

A spokesperson for FAF told the Architects Journal: "We fully support calls for architects to reject commissions funded with oil money.

"In the context of cascading ecological collapse, it is completely indefensible for architects to knowingly work with the most blatant perpetrators of climate destruction. Such donations by oil companies are transparent acts of reputation washing, and any architect with the slightest pretence of social concern must refuse to become complicit."