Patronage is the disinterested support of art, artists or cultural institutions, for which the patron expects no direct return. A patron funds creative work, buys works, gives grants or donates collections to the public. For a new generation of collectors, patronage is one of the main reasons they buy art at all. They want to support artists, build a cultural legacy and make an impact. The approach is thus shifting from “I buy art” to “I use art to reach meaningful goals”.
The Czech word mecenášství carries the name of Gaius Maecenas (died 8 BC), adviser to the Emperor Augustus, who supported the poets Virgil and Horace. The Czech story is a rich one. In 1844 the collector Josef Hoser gave more than three hundred paintings to the picture gallery of the Society of Patriotic Friends of the Arts, in the hope that they would become the basis of a future National Gallery. The architect and builder Josef Hlávka, for his part, stood at the birth of the Czech Academy of Emperor Franz Joseph for Sciences, Literature and Arts and left his property to a foundation that still looks after his legacy today.
A sponsor supports culture in exchange for something in return, typically a logo on a poster and advertising. A patron gives without expecting publicity, and the reward is a relationship with artists, joy and a legacy that endures. There is a practical side too: under the conditions of the Czech Income Tax Act, a gift for cultural purposes can be deducted from the tax base. The risks are more human. A patron should not dictate to artists what to make, because the line between support and interference in creative freedom tends to be thin.
You can, and today it is easier than ever. Patronage also means buying a work directly from a young artist, contributing to a catalogue, joining a gallery’s or museum’s friends programme, and lending a work of your own to an exhibition. You can start at end-of-term and graduation shows, where support arrives at the moment it is most valuable to artists. Isn’t it lovely to know that you were there at the start of someone’s career? You really do not need spare millions in the bank for that.
— Anna Pulkertová, founder of Art Part Club
Related terms: Generations of collectors · Institutional collections · Emotional value vs investment · End-of-term and graduation shows · Lending a work to an exhibition
