Read time: 4 mins
For the first time in over two decades the National Portrait Gallery has not included a representative from oil giant BP on the judging panel for its annual Portrait Award.
The presence of BP as a headline sponsor for the prestigious prize has seen it beset by criticism and protests, culminating in 2019 in two artist-led campaigns calling for the oil company’s judging presence to be dropped.
The gallery claimed the judging change was not in response to public pressure, a statement activists called “disingenuous”.
