A patron of the arts is a distinguished person in society who shows his or her deep appreciation, support and passion for the arts by donating money to select arts organizations. Usually an esteemed authority in their field of calling, a successful entrepreneur, a legacy business leader, or a philanthropist, distinguished banker, politician or revered statesman, he or she can either support, sponsor, protect, promote and champion the vision of a highly gifted artist, or a group of talented artists working in the same or different genres, a minority group of artists, an art institution, an art program or recurring community art event. A patron can also commission an established or emerging artist to execute a public work of art or produce a series of paintings that will be exhibited in a museum that they are associated with.

Five titles that best describe the important role played by an art patron in developing and preserving the important world of Art and Culture are:

∙ Defender of the Arts

∙ Supporter of the Arts

∙ Ambassador of the Arts

∙ Guardian of National culture

∙ Protector of Arts and culture

World renowned patrons of the arts in the 20th and 21stcentury whose major contribution has left an enduring legacy in the fields of arts they passionately promoted and continue to promote include the following:

∙ The Rubell Family, USA, Real Estate and hotels

∙ Sir John Soane, Britain, Architect, (1753-1837)

∙ Charles Saatchi, Britain, Advertising, (1943 - 2011)

∙ Dorothy and Herb Vogel, USA, (b. 1935; 1922-2012)

∙ Peggy Guggenheim, USA, Art Collector, (1898-1979)

∙ John Ruskin, Britain, Writer and Philosopher, (1819-1900)

∙ Eli Broad, USA, Businessman and Philanthropist, (1933-2021)