With BP's sponsorship of the Tate gallery under attack from all sides, BP is keen to make out that it doesn't get much in return for its philanthropic support for the arts.
But some emails we've got hold of under a Freedom of Information request give us a little glimpse that, besides using arts sponsorship to cultivate a socially acceptable face for its devastating operations, BP isn't averse to using it to help grease the way towards bigger shareholder profits.