Purpose: As is commonly known the bond between the wealthy powerful elite and artists is having long lasting roots. Although it seems to be a very old phenomenon it is still rather actual. Once aware of it an unavoidable observation seems to be: entrepreneurs love art. But why? And if we can find an answer to this first question will this answer help us understand the act of business creation in entrepreneurship? The paper will address these questions. Design/methodology/approach The starting point of the paper is an overview of the major literature on the phenomenon of art appreciation in business. In literature we found 5 major motives. With the use of the 5 motives as sensitizing concepts, a rather open interview protocol was developed. In long interviews with 10 CEO/owners of innovative Dutch companies these concepts were explored. Based on the first results of the study a field experiment was carved out to provide a rich source of data. Originality/value The experiment provided the data presented in the paper. Based on a quantitative analyses of the profile of the participants versus non participants the paper will address the question of the relation between innovativeness and art appreciation. This is a first step in unravelling our major research question. Practical implications The results of the study so far indicate there is much more in harnessing the bond between the Arts and Entrepreneurship than an occasional visit to the concert hall or a museum. Organizing a fruitful dialogue between Arts and Entrepreneurs needs further research and designs based on the outcome of our research.