Philip Morris and the Arts

“For our company–perhaps for American business in general–this is only the beginning. The future will see an ever-closer partnership between business and the arts. The passing of the giant private patron, the emergence of the corporation as the controller of an enormous new medium of world-wide communications, the growing awareness of the corporation’s potential and responsibility for enlightenment, the ever-widening scope of the corporation’s horizons–these are factors that will cement lasting relationships with the arts.”

George Weissman,
Chairman of the Board, Philip Morris lncorporated, in an address before the “Business and Arts” Conference,
Lincoln Center, New York City, March 28, 1966

Art in Business: The Philip Morris Story
Introduction: The Corporate Art Patron
Business Committee for the Arts
Sam Hunter
New York: Harry S. Abrams, Inc., 1979

Alan Blum, MD talks about meeting with Ellen Merlo, the longtime Marlboro brand manager; accepting a ticket from her to see a performance by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, sponsored by Philip Morris; and leading a protest demonstration (or “house call”) by doctors at the Marlboro Country Music Festival. He cites the rare performers such as Peter, Paul, and Mary and the Oak Ridge Boys who refused to accept cigarette sponsorship.

Audio: Recorded August 23, 2016
(18:28)

1990 - Philip Morris Philip Morris and the Arts A 30-Year

PHILIP MORRIS AND THE ARTS: A 30-YEAR CELEBRATION (60 pages)

118-page softbound book by Philip Morris Companies Incorporated
1990

This lavishly illustrated book touts Philip Morris’ payments to arts organizations from 1959 to 1989. Pages 71-81 provide a list of 187 art museums in 33 states and the District of Columbia, including 13 museums on university and college campuses, to which the cigarette maker gave money. In addition, 12 libraries, 31 historical societies, 23 cultural centers, 18 educational arts programs, and 5 science museums were recipients of funding by the tobacco company.

“Today, the company’s philosophy of arts support, refined by three decades of continuous evolution, has become vastly more sophisticated, as befits the largest consumer products company in the world.” (page 4)

“Philip Morris became not just an art patron but one that stood at the cutting edge of contemporary sensibility.” (page 5)

“By becoming a patron of the arts, therefore, Philip Morris became a contributing member to many communities, many constituencies, and many good causes, a fact that was soon signaled by the shower of awards and tributes that began to descend upon the company.” (page 8)

Series of Promotional Videos for Philip Morris’ Sponsorship of Art Exhibitions

Videos
Philip Morris
1988

Philip Morris Fund for the Arts
Sweatshirt

1990s

Philip Morris Sponsors the Arts Sweatshirt

Alan Blum, MD recounts how he acquired the Philip Morris fund for the arts sweatshirt. (02:39)
Recorded: August 17, 2015

“Corporate Ad Campaign Features Philip Morris’ Sponsorships of Art Exhibitions”

Article
Philip Morris News
1977

1976-11 - Philip Morris News - PM's Art Program Tours the World

“PM’s Art Programs Tour the World”

Article
Philip Morris News
November 1976

1976-11 - Philip Morris News - Cullman We Have a Long Way to Grow

“Cullman: We Have Long Way to Grow”

Article
Philip Morris News
November 1976

1985 - Philip Morris - Promotional Booklet In the Public Interest_Page_01

Philip Morris Companies Incorporated: IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST… (20 pages)

22-page promotional booklet by Philip Morris Companies Incorporated
1985

Pop and Op, An Exhibition of 65 Graphic Works

(Cover, foreword, 2 artworks)
Philip Morris
American Federation of Arts
1966

Foreword
“…We at Philip Morris are proud to contribute to the communication of a significant element of culture…An important factor in this coming of age is a willingness on the part of business to use its unique resources and channels of communication to bring key elements in the nation’s culture to all segments of the public…

“For us at Philip Morris, there are additional reasons for our participation in this exhibit. We are businessmen, not artists, but as manufacturers of mass consumer products, we are intrigued by art forms that cut across intellectual and cultural barriers, appealing to people of every type and from every placed. Too, we know that concepts expressed in new forms of design and imagery are essential to the continued health of our own company, for we rely heavily on exploratory art forms to provide the basis for applied commercial design…”

George Weissman
Executive Vice-President
Philip Morris Incorporated

[Translation: “Maybe sponsorship of the arts will help us sell more cigarettes to all segments of the public.”]

“Philip Morris and the Arts” (2 pages)

Article by Sandra Salmans
The New York Times
November 1981

“Tobacco Companies’ Gifts to the Arts a Proper Way to Subsidize Culture?”

Article by Nick Ravo
The New York Times
July 8, 1987

1986-12-12- New York Times - Philip Morris - Mock Museum Directory, Presented as a public service

“This Directory of Museum Events Is Presented As A Public Service By: Philip Morris Companies Inc.”

Advertisement by Philip Morris Companies Inc.
The New York Times
December 12, 1986

1999 - New York Times - News article on tobaco cultural sponsorships_Page_1

“Tobacco’s Imprimatur Is Less Bold, but Still on Cultural Events” (2 pages)

Article by Peter Applebone
The New York Times
June 21, 1999

ART IN BUSINESS: The Philip Morris Story

Sam Hunter
New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc
1979

Foreword

“…The elitists who feared contamination of the arts by followers of Mammon have been proved wrong…Even the companies seeking to maximize public attention to their support of the arts carries with it no basic conflict. It does place a burden on the intermediaries in the arts profession to show an intelligent concern for the integrity of the artist and the institution. A consonant responsibility is assigned to the corporate donor. Good art can be good business but companies will need some of the acumen that Philip Morris has demonstrated to keep that equation from going wrong. “

“…This thoughtful exploration of how Philip Morris has been fashioning its philosophy about support of the arts may be just what the others have been waiting for. It is personally gratifying and encouraging because it gives great credibility to the hope that the people who ultimately support the arts will assist not for private gain or corporate profit but with a realization that life in the United States will be enriched and expanded through an appreciation and understanding of our cultural resource.”

Tom Armstrong
Director
Whitney Museum of American Art

Translation: “Armstrong sounds so much nicer than Faust, don’t you think?”

1979 - Sam Hunter - Publisher Harry N. Abrams, Inc - Art in Business The Philip Morris Story

“Philip Morris Pulls Advertising in Connoisseur, Cites Editor Hoving”

Article by Betty Wong
The Wall Street Journal
July 25, 1988
(Distributed by Citizens Against Tobacco Smoke, Cincinnati)

1990-04 - Promotional Newspaper Philip Morris Globe article on Picasso and Braque film

“Cubism on a Cassette: [Picasso] Video Offers New Look” (2 pages

The Philip Morris Globe (employee newspaper)
Cover page; article on page C-2
April 1990

“Philip Morris and The Arts” (5 pages)

Brochure by Philip Morris Inc.
1984

“Regardless of tobacco’s contribution to the national economy or that of any state, the controversy about smoking and health must be resolved by scientific research. Meanwhile, The Tobacco Institute believes that full, free and informed discussion concerning tobacco and its role in our economy is in the public interest.”

See this quote on last page.

1984 - Philip Morris - Brochure - Philip Morris and the Arts_Page_1

“Albert Bierstadt: Art and Enterprise”

Advertisement by Philip Morris Inc.
The New York Times Magazine
M.H. De Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco
April 21, 1991

“Hand-Made in the USA”

Advertisement by Philip Morris Inc.
The New York Times
American Craft Museum
December 5, 1986

“Together at Last”

Advertisement By Philip Morris Inc. in unknown Sunday newspaper magazine
The Bronx Museum of the Arts, El Paso Museum of Arts, San Diego Museum of Art, Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, Center for the Arts, Vero Beach, Florida.
1988-1990

“It Takes Art to Make a Company Great”

Advertisement by Philip Morris Inc. featuring ads for for 10 exhibitions that the company sponsored
TIME Magazine
1995

n.d. - Book Introduction -The Philip Morris Program in Business and Society at Baruch Collge

The Philip Morris Program in Business and Society at Baruch College

(Cover, Foreword–2 pages)
Peter Caws, Benjamin Demott, Ann M. Morrison, Robert B. Reich
Introduction by George Weissman, retired chairman of Philip Morris Companies Inc.
1993

“Corporate social responsibility has proven to be an imaginative response by our democratic capitalist system to community
problems.”

GEORGE WEISSMAN
Retired Chairman
Philip Morris Companies Inc.
and Chairman, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

[Translation: “We need to throw some hush money around town.”]

“Bridges and Boundaries: African Americans and American Jews”

Advertisement by Philip Morris inc.
The New York Times
The Jewish Museum
1992

“Henri Matisse: A Retrospective”

Advertisement by Philip Morris Inc.
The New York Times
Museum of Modern Art
1992-1993

“Origins of Impressionism”

Advertisement by Philip Morris Inc.
The New York Times
Metropolitan Museum of Art
1994-1995

“Lee Bontecou: A Retrospective”

Advertisement by Altria
The New York Times
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
2004

Americans and the Arts VI (12 pages)

Highlights From a Nationwide Survey of Public Opinion
Prepared for the American Council of the Arts
Conducted by LH Research | Directed by Louis Harris
1992

Even respected pollsters do the bidding of their clients to get the results the clients desire. This survey found, naturally, that the public not only supports the arts but also wants more public-private partnerships…and wants more sponsored arts-related videos, circumventing the ban on cigarette ads on television.

“Over the course of nearly 35 years of supporting the arts, we have found that the arts encourage creativity and open-mindedness in our employees and communities, indeed, the arts have become on essential port of our nation’s infrastructure, it makes sense, then, that so many Americans agree that the government has a vital role in creating a rich and vibrant cultural environment…”

Stephanie French
Vice President, Corporate Contributions and Cultural Affairs
Philip Morris Companies lnc.

“A Native American Tradition”

Advertisement by Philip Morris Inc.
The New York Times
American Craft Museum
October 1, 1999

Art from the Philip Morris Collection

Book Cover
1999

Alan Blum MD, discusses Philip Morris’ sponsorship of the arts, his visit to the Whitney Museum of American Art at Philip Morris, and the response by a student in a class of 6th graders visiting the museum when he asked, “What does Philip Morris make?”

Recorded 2016
(02:01)

“Celebrating Diversity in the Visual Arts”

Media Release
Philip Morris Inc.
2001

2004- Altria - Statement - El Museo del Barrio

MoMA at El Museo

Media Release
El Museo del Barrio
Altria
2004

“Picasso at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts”

Media Release
Altria
2011

Art at Philip Morris

Foreword: “A Special Place to Work”
George Weissman, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Philip Morris Incorporated
1983

“Within our structure, we have shaped an environment to retain, attract, and build a special kind of staff– a closely knit corps of people who channel their creative energies and enthusiasm into corporate strategy, long-range planning, and day-to-day operations … In fulfilling our core philosophy of manufacturing and selling quality products, we have become sensitive – during Philip Morris’s more than two decades of sustained growth–to the subtle ways in which art and architecture have influenced our way of looking at things and going about our business.”

[Translation: “We need to surround ourselves with fine art to keep out of our minds the images of x-rays, ICUs, and autopsies.”]