英国的艺术业已经成了一个发展特别迅速的行业,其年产值估计为100亿英镑(合170亿美元)。由约翰·梅尔斯考夫(John Myerscough)进行的一项耗资20万英镑的研究工作表明,人们再也不能把艺术当成是在经济上没有什么活力的活动了。这项研究的成果收集在由政策研究所发表的一部名为《艺术在英国的经济重要性》的四卷本著作中。该项研究有如下一些主要发现: ——艺术业本身就是英国的一个重要经济部门。这一部门的年营业额(100亿英镑)占 The art industry in the United Kingdom has become a particularly rapidly developing industry with an estimated annual output of 10 billion pounds ($ 17 billion). A £ 200,000 study by John Myerscough shows that art can no longer be treated as an economically unviable activity. The research results are collected in a four-volume book entitled “Economic Importance of Art in the UK” published by the Institute of Policy Studies. The main findings of the study are as follows: - The art industry itself is an important economic sector in the United Kingdom. The annual turnover of this sector (10 billion pounds)