Philanthropy or Salesmanship – Which is the Answer for the Arts?

THE GUARDIAN
By Rupert Christiansen

UNITED KINGDOM---Philanthropy: well, yes, it is rather a boring subject, but an important one at a time when good causes of all kinds need every penny they can muster....None the less, especially when it comes to the arts, I think too much emphasis is currently being put on ways to rattle the begging bowl more effectively, and not enough on an even more fundamental economic operation – selling something that people want to buy. This has two prongs: the wares that are on offer, and the way that they are sold. Subsidised arts organizations have a duty to present a balanced programme, combining material that the general public already recognises and loves with material which may appeal only to a coterie but which represents either high aesthetic quality or a spirit of experiment and novelty. [link]