The art world is in a muddle. On the one hand, it is the best of times. The success of Lubaina Himid, a black woman, in the 2017 Turner Prize, was a sign that recognition is no longer entirely dependent on identity rather than talent. Ms Himid is one of a number of contemporary artists making exciting, challenging work that speaks truth to power yet also retains the imaginative pulse that makes it art rather than journalism or activism.

On the other hand, barely a week goes by without cultural institutions being rocked by criticisms over corporate connections. Among those in the spotlight recently have been the oil company BP, sponsor of the British Museum, and certain members of the Sackler family, whose links to the US opioid crisis have caused the family name to be dropped from the Louvre. Then there is Warren Kanders, former vice-chair of the Whitney Museum, who owns companies that make weapons and tear gas used on the US-Mexico border against migrants and in Gaza. He resigned from his position after a group of artists asked to withdraw work from the Whitney Biennial.

Commonly, when the subject of corporate interest in the arts is broached, the first line of defence is that art and business have always been bedfellows. “Look at the Medici!” cry those who think it isn’t worth risking an alternative scenario of less art, smaller institutions and higher ticket prices in exchange for cleaner consciences.