Patronage and the arts

Sir, – The arts are a fundamental part of our culture in Ireland. However, the arts and music have never been self-sufficient – they need patronage to survive.

While I understand economies are under pressure and finances can be tight, but times of economic crisis are the very times that artists need to be supported. The arts can be seen by some as a misallocation of resources. I ask those people to imagine a world without art, without music, without books.

Without patronage we wouldn't have Shakespeare's Macbeth. Without patronage we wouldn't have Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. – Yours, etc,

GAVIN BRENNAN,

Clontarf,

Dublin 3.