indirect relationships between UK galleries/museums and China

[Name Removed] made this Freedom of Information request to The National Portrait Gallery This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was successful.

Dear The National Portrait Gallery,

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Please provide all information held by your institution related to any relationships between the National Portrait Gallery and Chinese entities not based on direct funding.

By Chinese entities I am referring to entities owned by the Chinese government, private companies/institutions based in China or individuals with Chinese citizenship. By direct funding I mean sponsorships, gifts or donations to your institution. Rather than direct funding, we are interested in more indirect relationships, such as any form of agreement (such as partnership or licensing) or other commercial arrangements where the institution stands to benefit. If the relationship has benefitted your institution financially, please explain how much the relationship has generated in profit. However we are also interested in relationships that do not immediately generate profit such as agreements of mutual understanding.

These may include but are not limited to:

- Relationships with state owned development firms for example to work on joint projects
- Relationships with private Chinese companies.
- Licensing agreements
- Collaborations with museums/galleries based in China such as joint exhibitions or assisting in the operations of these institutions based in China.
- Items displayed in your gallery that have been loaned by individuals or organisations based in China.
- Agreements of mutual understanding or cooperation with entities linked to the Chinese government

Yours faithfully,

[Name Removed]

FOI Request, The National Portrait Gallery

Dear [Name Removed]

Under Section 8(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, for a request for information to be valid it must "(b) state(s) the name of the applicant and an address for correspondence".

You have submitted a request including an email address for correspondence, but have only provided a first name. The Information Commissioner's Office guidance states:

"Any variation of the requester's title or first name combined with their surname (e.g. Mr Smith or John Smith) will be sufficient to meet this requirement. However, a first name or surname provided in isolation, or a set of initials, will not."
https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio... (paragraph 25)

In order to process your information request please submit a valid request using a full name.

Yours sincerely

Lizzie Westbrook
Information Governance Advisor
National Portrait Gallery St Martin's Place London WC2H 0HE

www.npg.org.uk

Please note that due to the closure the Gallery, I am working remotely and my working pattern has altered. This may cause a delay in my response and I will reply as soon as I am able. Thank you for your understanding.

This e-mail, and any attachments, are intended only for the attention of the addressee(s). Its unauthorised use, disclosure, storage or copying is not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient, please destroy all copies and inform the sender. The Gallery does not accept any liability arising from interception, corruption, loss or destruction of this e-mail, or if it arrives late, incomplete or with viruses. Please note that any information sent, received or held by the Gallery may be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
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Dear Lizzie Westbrook,

Apologies for the mistake, here is the updated request with my last name.

Dear The National Portrait Gallery,

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Please provide all information held by your institution related to any relationships between the National Portrait Gallery and Chinese entities not based on direct funding.

By Chinese entities I am referring to entities owned by the Chinese government, private companies/institutions based in China or individuals with Chinese citizenship. By direct funding I mean sponsorships, gifts or donations to your institution. Rather than direct funding, we are interested in more indirect relationships, such as any form of agreement (such as partnership or licensing) or other commercial arrangements where the institution stands to benefit. If the relationship has benefitted your institution financially, please explain how much the relationship has generated in profit. However we are also interested in relationships that do not immediately generate profit such as agreements of mutual understanding.

These may include but are not limited to:

- Relationships with state owned development firms for example to work on joint projects
- Relationships with private Chinese companies.
- Licensing agreements
- Collaborations with museums/galleries based in China such as joint exhibitions or assisting in the operations of these institutions based in China.
- Items displayed in your gallery that have been loaned by individuals or organisations based in China.
- Agreements of mutual understanding or cooperation with entities linked to the Chinese government

Yours faithfully,

[Name Removed] [name removed]

FOI Request, The National Portrait Gallery

Dear [Name Removed] [name removed]

Thank you for resubmitting your request with your full name. This will be processed under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act and a full response will be provided within 20 working days.

Yours sincerely

Lizzie Westbrook
Information Governance Advisor
National Portrait Gallery St Martin's Place London WC2H 0HE

www.npg.org.uk

Please note that due to the closure the Gallery, I am working remotely and my working pattern has altered. This may cause a delay in my response and I will reply as soon as I am able. Thank you for your understanding.

This e-mail, and any attachments, are intended only for the attention of the addressee(s). Its unauthorised use, disclosure, storage or copying is not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient, please destroy all copies and inform the sender. The Gallery does not accept any liability arising from interception, corruption, loss or destruction of this e-mail, or if it arrives late, incomplete or with viruses. Please note that any information sent, received or held by the Gallery may be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please consider the environment before you print this email

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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #884113 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the latest advice from the ICO:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

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FOI Request, The National Portrait Gallery

Dear [Name Removed] [name removed]

Following consultation with the relevant teams in the Gallery, I require some clarification before progressing your information request further.

Please can you confirm whether your request refers to current relationships only, or if not, the time period that applies to your request.

Your request will be put on hold until this clarification is provided, at which time the processing will continue.

Yours sincerely

Lizzie Westbrook
Information Governance Advisor
National Portrait Gallery St Martin's Place London WC2H 0HE

www.npg.org.uk

Please note that due to the closure the Gallery, I am working remotely and my working pattern has altered. This may cause a delay in my response and I will reply as soon as I am able. Thank you for your understanding.

This e-mail, and any attachments, are intended only for the attention of the addressee(s). Its unauthorised use, disclosure, storage or copying is not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient, please destroy all copies and inform the sender. The Gallery does not accept any liability arising from interception, corruption, loss or destruction of this e-mail, or if it arrives late, incomplete or with viruses. Please note that any information sent, received or held by the Gallery may be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please consider the environment before you print this email

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Original Message-----
From: [Name Removed] <[FOI #884113 email]>
Sent: 08 August 2022 07:17
To: FOI Request <[The National Portrait Gallery request email]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - indirect relationships between UK galleries/museums and China

Dear Lizzie Westbrook,

Apologies for the mistake, here is the updated request with my last name.

Dear The National Portrait Gallery,

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Please provide all information held by your institution related to any relationships between the National Portrait Gallery and Chinese entities not based on direct funding.

By Chinese entities I am referring to entities owned by the Chinese government, private companies/institutions based in China or individuals with Chinese citizenship. By direct funding I mean sponsorships, gifts or donations to your institution. Rather than direct funding, we are interested in more indirect relationships, such as any form of agreement (such as partnership or licensing) or other commercial arrangements where the institution stands to benefit. If the relationship has benefitted your institution financially, please explain how much the relationship has generated in profit. However we are also interested in relationships that do not immediately generate profit such as agreements of mutual understanding.

These may include but are not limited to:

- Relationships with state owned development firms for example to work on joint projects
- Relationships with private Chinese companies.
- Licensing agreements
- Collaborations with museums/galleries based in China such as joint exhibitions or assisting in the operations of these institutions based in China.
- Items displayed in your gallery that have been loaned by individuals or organisations based in China.
- Agreements of mutual understanding or cooperation with entities linked to the Chinese government

Yours faithfully,

[Name Removed] [name removed]

show quoted sections

Dear Lizzie Westbrook,

Thank you for your email. I am interested in any current relationships.

Yours sincerely,

[Name Removed] [name removed]

FOI Request, The National Portrait Gallery

Dear [Name Removed] [name removed]

Thank you for providing this clarification, you will receive a full response within 20 working days.

Yours sincerely

Lizzie Westbrook
Information Governance Advisor
National Portrait Gallery St Martin's Place London WC2H 0HE

www.npg.org.uk

Please note that due to the closure the Gallery, I am working remotely and my working pattern has altered. This may cause a delay in my response and I will reply as soon as I am able. Thank you for your understanding.

This e-mail, and any attachments, are intended only for the attention of the addressee(s). Its unauthorised use, disclosure, storage or copying is not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient, please destroy all copies and inform the sender. The Gallery does not accept any liability arising from interception, corruption, loss or destruction of this e-mail, or if it arrives late, incomplete or with viruses. Please note that any information sent, received or held by the Gallery may be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please consider the environment before you print this email

show quoted sections

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #884113 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the latest advice from the ICO:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

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FOI Request, The National Portrait Gallery

1 Attachment

Dear [Name Removed] [name removed]

Please see the attached letter in response to your recent information request.

Yours sincerely

Lizzie Westbrook
Information Governance Advisor
National Portrait Gallery St Martin's Place London WC2H 0HE

www.npg.org.uk

Please note that due to the closure the Gallery, I am working remotely and my working pattern has altered. This may cause a delay in my response and I will reply as soon as I am able. Thank you for your understanding.

This e-mail, and any attachments, are intended only for the attention of the addressee(s). Its unauthorised use, disclosure, storage or copying is not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient, please destroy all copies and inform the sender. The Gallery does not accept any liability arising from interception, corruption, loss or destruction of this e-mail, or if it arrives late, incomplete or with viruses. Please note that any information sent, received or held by the Gallery may be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please consider the environment before you print this email

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Original Message-----
From: [Name Removed] <[FOI #884113 email]>
Sent: 15 August 2022 12:21
To: FOI Request <[The National Portrait Gallery request email]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - indirect relationships between UK galleries/museums and China

Dear Lizzie Westbrook,

Thank you for your email. I am interested in any current relationships.

Yours sincerely,

[Name Removed] [name removed]

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