An Italian weapons manufacturer has withdrawn its corporate membership of the National Gallery in London after campaigners criticised the gallery for hosting arms trade functions.
A National Gallery statement read: “Finmeccanica has informed us that it has decided to terminate its corporate membership with the National Gallery. Its contract ran from 1 October 2011 to 2013, with an option to terminate the contract at the end of the first year. Finmeccanica has decided to exercise this option.”
The membership was heavily criticised by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), which said the deal had been worth £30,000 over the past year.
A gallery spokeswoman confirmed that Finmeccanica was entitled to hold two dinners or evening receptions at the venue each year.
In March, novelists and artists such as Will Self and Peter Kennard signed a protest letter to the gallery, saying that it “regularly hosts events for the arms industry, as a result of [the] sponsorship deal”.
CAAT, meanwhile, said the Natural History Museum in London had hosted the official reception for Farnborough International Airshow this year.
A museum spokeswoman said organisations hiring the venue did not have any association with the museum beyond the rental of the space.
CAAT added that rooms at the London Transport Museum had been used for meetings with the UK Trade & Investment Defence & Security Organisation. The museum declined to comment.
A National Gallery statement read: “Finmeccanica has informed us that it has decided to terminate its corporate membership with the National Gallery. Its contract ran from 1 October 2011 to 2013, with an option to terminate the contract at the end of the first year. Finmeccanica has decided to exercise this option.”
The membership was heavily criticised by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), which said the deal had been worth £30,000 over the past year.
A gallery spokeswoman confirmed that Finmeccanica was entitled to hold two dinners or evening receptions at the venue each year.
In March, novelists and artists such as Will Self and Peter Kennard signed a protest letter to the gallery, saying that it “regularly hosts events for the arms industry, as a result of [the] sponsorship deal”.
CAAT, meanwhile, said the Natural History Museum in London had hosted the official reception for Farnborough International Airshow this year.
A museum spokeswoman said organisations hiring the venue did not have any association with the museum beyond the rental of the space.
CAAT added that rooms at the London Transport Museum had been used for meetings with the UK Trade & Investment Defence & Security Organisation. The museum declined to comment.