Patrons of the (Space) Arts

Abstract

Almost from the very beginning, artists have depended upon patrons in order to work. The lucky artists who could survive on the sporadic sale of their work were all too rare. For the rest, it was necessary to find some entity who would be willing to support them, giving them the freedom to work – though often, if not usually, that “freedom” meant providing the art the patron demanded. Sometimes these patrons took the traditional form of royalty, governments, or the wealthy, who had the wherewithal to support the arts, and sometimes patronage took more subtle forms. For example, when a book or magazine publisher commissions an illustration, they are very much acting in the role of a patron.