Do museums have a responsibility to reckon with the source of a donor’s wealth? The question has come up numerous times in recent history, from the conservative Koch brothers’ support of the plaza at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to BP’s controversial sponsorship of London’s Tate.

Now, another prominent art patron has come under scrutiny: the Sackler family. The name graces museum wings, courtyards, galleries, and university museums. But in an eye-opening story just published in Esquire magazine, ace reporter Christopher Glazek delves into the lesser-known story behind the fortune: A sizable portion was built on sales of the narcotic painkiller OxyContin.

The drug is at the heart of the US opioid epidemic and is “regarded by many public-health experts as among the most dangerous products ever sold on a mass scale,” [Christopher] Glazek writes. His account includes damning details regarding the handling of the drug, including company reps lying to doctors about its potency.

Read the full article by Eileen Kinsella about museum donations from artnet news