NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Sackler family, the latter under scrutiny over their alleged role in fueling the opioid epidemic, announced Thursday that the family's name would be removed from seven exhibition spaces — including the iconic Temple of Dendur wing.
"Our families have always strongly supported the Met, and we believe this to be in the best interest of the museum and the important mission that it serves," the descendants of Dr. Mortimer Sackler and Dr. Raymond Sackler said in a statement. "The earliest of these gifts were made almost 50 years ago, and now we are passing the torch to others who might wish to step forward to support the museum."
The largest art museum in the United States, the Met, previously cut ties with Sackler family donations in 2019 due to their prior association with the maker of OxyContin, in a move that followed New York City's Guggenheim Museum and other institutions around the world.
At the time, the Met said the decision was "precipitated in part by recent scrutiny of gifts received from individuals related to the production of opioids and the ensuing public health crisis surrounding the abuse of these medications."
However, its May 2019 announcement did not include pulling the Sackler name from its exhibition spaces.
Met CEO and President Dan Weiss said Thursday that the decision was a "gracious gesture" by the family.
"The Met has been built by the philanthropy of generations of donors — and the Sacklers have been among our most generous supporters," Weiss sad. "This gracious gesture by the Sacklers aids the museum in continuing to serve this and future generations. We greatly appreciate it."
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