England, the National Portrait Gallery, is refusing to donate a million dollars from Sackler, the first major arts institution to do so because of the opioid crisis.

The National Portrait Gallery in London announced Tuesday that it would not accept a $ 1.3 million donation from the Sackler family in response to growing criticism of family property. , the maker of OxyContin, Purdue Pharma, which is at the heart of the opioid crisis in the United States. The gallery becomes the first major arts institution to turn down the charities of the Sackler family, revealing a growing mistrust of the philanthropic largesse of one of the richest families in the world. The move follows strong legal and militant legal challenges from the Sackler family for its alleged involvement in fueling the opioid crisis by describing the OxyContin pain medication as non-addictive, despite knowing otherwise.

"The Sackler Trust and the National Portrait Gallery have jointly agreed not to proceed for the moment to a £ 1 million gift from the Sackler Trust," said the National Portrait Gallery in a statement on Tuesday. "The philosophy of the family has always been to actively support institutions without ever hindering their mission," the Sackler Trust said in a statement. "It has become clear that recent reports of allegations against members of the Sackler family could bring this new gift to distract the National Portrait Gallery from its important work."

"While both sides insisted that the decision was mutual, this will be seen as a blow to the family's philanthropic status and evidence that a campaign against the Sacklers, led by the US government, has been reported. American artist Nan Goldin has been effective, "said the Guardian. Notes. "The NPG is one of many British cultural institutions seeking substantial donations from family members, but it has been under intense pressure from artists and activists who have argued that accepting a Financing the owners of the company that manufactures OxyContin would complete the NPG's drawbacks. "

The gallery would have collected the donation for more than a year, while the opioid controversy had overwhelmed the Sackler family, who were profiting financially from the pharmaceutical company built by the brothers Mortimer and Raymond Sackler. "The Sackler Trust is one of the many Sackler family trusts and foundations that have given gifts to some of the UK's most prominent cultural institutions, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Theater, the Shakespeare's Globe, the Tate Modern and the Serpentine Gallery, as well as scientific and educational organizations, "reports the Financial Times.