The Met museum iconic Temple of Dendur (museum website)
The Sackler family got some more bad news. The world renowned New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, known as “The Met,” has removed the Sackler name from seven different exhibits that it houses, including the wing that houses the iconic Temple of Dendur.
In November 2020 Purdue Pharma – which was owned by the Sackler Family — pled guilty for its part in America’s opioid crisis. The company was branded as a “pusher” for its OxyContin pain killer. Purdue Pharma had been charged with paying doctors kickbacks to get them to prescribe more of its pain killers. This was done in spite of knowledge about how addictive they were. Purdue’s chairman Steve Miller admitted that the company knowingly supplied OxyContin to doctors who were suspected of illegally prescribing the drug while telling the DEA that it was working to do just the opposite.
The Sacklers tried to downplay the significance of the move in a joint statement that they released with the Met when it was announced.
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“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,” descendants of Dr. Mortimer Sackler and Dr. Raymond Sackler said in a statement. “The earliest of these gifts were made almost fifty years ago, and now we are passing the torch to others who might wish to step forward to support the Museum.”
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Walked through the Great Hall recently?
Two stelae depicting two great ancient Maya rulers are now watching over visitors, just as they would have overseen the public in the ancient world.https://t.co/JvgI6Uo3ni
— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) December 10, 2021
“The Met has been built by the philanthropy of generations of donors – and the Sacklers have been among our most generous supporters,” said Dan Weiss, President and CEO of The Met. “This gracious gesture by the Sacklers aids the Museum in continuing to serve this and future generations. We greatly appreciate it.”
