This facility – a start-up incubator programme called Les Réalisateurs – also supports students with a focus on cultural management in their business degree courses. In return these often go out again to coach artists.

As an example, the FT cites Marie Gueudet, a second-year student in Audencia’s masters in management course. She is supporting Baptiste Masson, a graduate from the National School of Fine Arts in Nice, to find corporate sponsors for a model of the upturned oil tanker Erika, whose sinking off France in 1999 caused an environmental disaster.

“What we are trying to do is change the perception of artists among companies and create relationships between the two,” Ms Gueudet told the FT. “Hopefully companies will see this as a good thing.” In her view it is a romantic notion to think that artists are creating away in their studios to produce something very expensive without support.

Ms Gueudet also benefits from this relationship gaining valuable insight into an artist’s way of working and living and how to deal with creative people. She hopes to put this knowledge to use later on by working in a senior executive role at a major art institution.

Read more at ft.com