A new book called "The Corporate Patron" tells the story of one major arts organization's partnership with the business world.
It's a story of increasing importance to museums. This book is an account of the National Gallery's history of corporate sponsorship, from its first partnership with Abbott Laboratories in 1942, through the global consortium that is supporting the current exhibition, "Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration."The book, published by Fortune magazine in honor of the gallery's 50th anniversary, contains profiles of sponsors and their funding, as well as more than 400 color art illustrations.
The National Gallery is promoting the book as "a source book for museums, nonprofit organizations, corporate communications executives, business adminstration programs and public relations firms."