From the King’s Court to Kickstarter: Patronage in the Modern Era

They say that history repeats itself, and art patronage is no different. From emperors, kings, and noblemen to small businesses, large corporations, and the public, art patrons have helped shape our culture and society as a whole. The symbiotic relationship between artist and patron has fluctuated from the hired hand commissioned to entertain royalty, to the entrepreneurial celebrity artist making fortunes creating their own art and charting their own destinies. Prior to the Renaissance, most artists were unknown craftsmen working on commission. But thanks to the infusion of capital under the powerful Medici banking family, the number of working artists and celebrity artists increased. The period of the Renaissance changed art as we know it. Suddenly art was accessible to everyone, not just royalty and the elite. The millennium brings with it another big change in art patronage. We’re entering a new Renaissance. A digital Renaissance, that not only makes art accessible to everyone, but patronage as well. There’s never been a better time in history to be an artist. With crowd-funding, corporate sponsorship, grants, venture capital, and angel investors, there’s no reason for an artist not to make a living. From the King’s Court to Kickstarter dispels the myth of the starving artist and provides a roadmap for entrepreneurial artists of all kinds who want to create the kind of art they are passionate about and make a great living doing it.