The commercialization of European art

Arts and business, once parallel worlds in Europe, are merging as never before. More companies than ever back the visual arts: Patronage has more than doubled in the past 15 years in the U.K. and more than tripled in France.  The difference is that, where once companies funded the arts selflessly and on a whim -- the chairman's, or his wife's -- they now seek bang for their buck: their name in the show's title, free museum access for staff and client parties, the right to advertise their sponsorship, and the right to run spinoff educational and social programs. And when all is said and done, they conduct studies to make sure it was worth it.      

European nations find themselves so upset by U.S. influence, in part, because they are being drawn inexorably toward our economic model; read more here.  And by the way:

Surveys show that only 4 to 7 percent of consumers see sponsorship as a betrayal of the art, according to Angela Diakopoulou, managing director of Marketlink Research, which conducts sponsorship evaluation studies on behalf of customers such as UBS, Unilever and the National Gallery.