Giving Compass' Take:

• The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the center of America's opioids crisis. The family is also well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top art institutions.

• Charitable giving is, in many cases, an indispensable lifeline for museums. But it can also be problematic, raising ethical concerns about where the money comes from. 

• Learn how this successful artist took on the billionaire family behind OxyContin. 

Two weeks ago, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art announced it would no longer accept donations from the Sackler Trust. It’s a name synonymous with arts philanthropy; the Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty famed for making million-dollar donations to museums including the Louvre in Paris, Tate in London and New York’s Guggenheim. However, they also own the pharmaceutical giant Purdue Pharma, which since 1996 has manufactured and marketed the highly addictive painkiller, OxyContin. So, as the brand becomes increasingly tied to America’s opioid crisis, museums are refusing their money. The story raises questions about the ethics of philanthropic giving: to what extent must museums vet their donors, and should they explore alternative funding models?

Many public museums around the world have been founded on acts of private philanthropy. The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, New York’s Museum of Modern Art and, more recently, Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai, were all established on substantial gifts. It is an essential element of most museums’ business strategy, as wealthy patrons are approached and cultivated at private parties, dinners and exclusive events, and, in return, philanthropists fast-track organisations to their fundraising targets. In 2016, Michael Jordan gave $5 million (Dh18.3m) to the National Museum of African American History and Culture; the Art Institute of Chicago received $50 million from trustee Janet Duchossois and her husband, Craig, in 2018; and David Rockefeller’s estate donated $200 million to New York’s MoMA this year.

Read the full article about opioids and the arts at The National.