As public funding continues to shrink, London’s British Museum is turning to glamour and private donors. Inspired by New York’s famed Met Gala, the institution is hosting its first-ever fundraising soirée — a high-profile event blending culture, fashion, and philanthropy to help secure its financial future.
The British Museum, the prestigious London institution, is hosting its first-ever fundraising gala on Saturday — a lavish and glamorous event aiming to rival New York’s Met Gala, and above all, to raise money to offset declining public subsidies.
The museum, which holds one of the largest permanent collections in the world, says it aims to “celebrate London as one of the world’s leading cultural capitals” and turn the evening into an unmissable annual event.
London’s social calendar “has always lacked a major moment… until now,” rejoiced Helen Brocklebank, director of the British luxury industry federation Walpole and a member of the gala’s organizing committee, on social media.
The theme of this first British Museum gala is “pink,” inspired by “the colors and light of India,” the subject of a current exhibition at the museum.
The evening will be chaired by philanthropist Isha Ambani, daughter of Indian business magnate Mukesh Ambani and a board member of his conglomerate, Reliance Industries, which spans petroleum and technology.
Among the members of the gala’s organizing committee are British supermodel Naomi Campbell, Italian fashion designer Miuccia Prada, Spanish shoe designer Manolo Blahnik, and Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor.
Cocktails Among Masterpieces
However, British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan wants to set the event apart from the Met by emphasizing the participation of writers, artists, and architects.
Another difference: the evening, which will host around 800 guests, is far less expensive than its New York counterpart. Tickets cost £2,000 (about €2,300) per person, compared with the $75,000 (€64,000) required to attend the Met Gala.
On Saturday, VIP guests at the British Museum will enjoy a cocktail reception followed by a seated dinner among the museum’s masterpieces, notably in the Duveen Gallery, home to the Parthenon Marbles from Athens. A silent auction will take place during the evening, featuring, among other items, a work by British artist Tracey Emin.
The list of “happy few” attendees will only be released after the event, but according to the British press, actress Kristin Scott Thomas, director Steve McQueen, and designer Erdem Moralioglu are expected.
The funds raised will support international collaborations, such as the loan from France of the Bayeux Tapestry, set to be exhibited for a year at the British Museum starting in September 2026.
Like many other cultural institutions in the United Kingdom, the British Museum — which offers free admission to its permanent collections — has been affected by two decades of cuts to public funding. It is now turning to private sources to finance an ambitious £1 billion (€1.15 billion) redevelopment project.
But some of these private partnerships, particularly with oil giant BP, have drawn criticism from environmental groups. Institutions like the National Portrait Gallery have ended such controversial sponsorships.
“As the British government continues to slash public funding for museums, the country’s cultural institutions are adopting the American model of fundraising,” wrote art specialist Jo Lawson-Tancred on Artnet.
The National Gallery launched a fundraising campaign this year to finance its expansion, while Tate is seeking endowments to secure its “long-term future.”
Par Akshata KAPOOR / AFP
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