Museums Feel The Pinch

Europe's flagship museums - the Uffizi, the Musee du Louvre in Paris, and the British Museum in London - are feeling the pinch. Thrifty governments facing European Union deficit limits are capping cultural handouts and compelling museums to make money on the side by seeking sponsors, hiring out halls and selling snacks and knickknacks. As a result, even as museums draw record crowds - the Louvre hosted 6 million visitors last year - they increasingly rely on sponsors. To put on shows, fund new wings and restore crumbling galleries, museums get help from major companies and national lotteries. Irish Art