Tate ordered to reveal details of BP sponsorship deal

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On December 23, 2014, The Guardian reported that the Tate had been ordered by an Information Tribunal to release details of its partnership with BP.

The museum will publish the details of this contract between the years of 1990 to 2006 within a period of 35 days as a result of consistent campaigning on the behalf of environmental activists.

Anna Galkina, a spokeswoman for Platform, an arts and activism charity responsible for raising the case with campaigner Brendan Montague, explains the reason why it is so important for the public to know details of this partnership: “Sponsorship secrecy makes BP seem more indispensable than it really is – and our culture must dispense with oil corporations.”

Campaigners speculate that BP sponsorship money makes up a mere 0.5% of the museum group’s operating budget, therefore rendering the partnership unnecessary for Tate and highlighting BP’s actions as an attempt to whitewash their environmental image by way of cultural sponsorship. However this debate can only take place once the exact figures are known to the public.