This has always been the case to an extent - see the Esterhazy's patronage of Haydn and the Prince of Salzburg's sponsorship of Mozart.
The exception is the 20th century when the Soviet system pushed art as something for the people [though the incentives on who was sponsored was again skewed at the top], and the various publicly funded arts programs in Western Europe - driven by social democratic ideals.
The exception is the 20th century when the Soviet system pushed art as something for the people [though the incentives on who was sponsored was again skewed at the top], and the various publicly funded arts programs in Western Europe - driven by social democratic ideals.