Lager than life... artists at last year's launch of Beck's Futures. Photograph: Graham Turner/The Guardian
There was a time, not so long ago, when the words private view were not a synonym for a free drink. Sound implausible? Ah, but there was a time before Beck's, the far-sighted German brewery which, with persuasive sponsorship guru Anthony Fawcett at the helm, brought beer to the beleaguered artist. It branded exhibition invites with its gold and green logo and plied gallery-goers with such alcoholic generosity that it is impossible to look at the stuff and not associate it with one of the YBAs.
The company supported some of the most radical art projects - including the pioneering art organisation Artangel - and funded the ICA's Beck's Futures, the edgy, brilliant and, at times, downright infuriating naughty younger brother of the Turner prize. It was a cheeky, sprawling vision of young creativity - sometimes good, sometimes dire, but always a good barometer of the next generation. Thanks to its larger list of nominees - usually around 10 artists - who were often under the age of 30, it had a vibrancy and excitement that could never be matched by the more established awards. With many of the artists nominated already friends it led to exciting collaborative spin-offs that gave it an inclusive vibe.
2006 was the last time Beck's sponsored the prize and since then the brewery has been concentrating on its Beck's Fusions and Beck's Canvas series. Fusions is a collaborative programme between musicians and artists, and Canvas involves the commissioning of young artists to design limited-edition labels for Beck's Beer. It is not the first time alcohol and art have been inextricably bound - we have the Rothschilds to thank for that and their wine labels painted by the likes of Picasso, Freud and Bacon - but the Beck's concept was an exciting indicator in the early 90s of the possibilities of collaboration in the hands of intelligent, far-thinking corporate companies. It bothered the establishment and made a mockery of art's highbrow status, with its cheap manufacturing and disposable productions. And without the company's pioneering example we might not have some of the most innovative projects today, including the Unilever series in Tate Modern's Turbine Hall.
So the announcement that Beck's is going to produce 27 million bottles of beer featuring designs by four Royal College of Art students is an awesome prospect for a budding artist. For those furrowed brows still concerned about the cheapening of art's value by such an endeavour, remember - artists love notoriety even more than they love money.
