What a row over sponsorship reveals about art and Mammon
It betrays childish misconceptions about money, morality and power
Try as he might, Joe Biden struggles to restrain Binyamin Netanyahu. So it is doubtful that a British literary collective can have much sway over Israel’s prime minister. But though the group may not halt the war in Gaza—or mitigate climate change, its other avowed mission—it has performed one useful service. It has exposed the deep misconceptions that often feature in clashes over cultural funding: about power, morality and the exigencies of art.
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This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Art and Mammon”
From the June 22nd 2024 edition
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