One can infer from the passage that if a generation
of young artists is lost ____

Many art museums and galleries and many individuals
in the world faced financial problems in 1975 as the
effects of world recession deepened. On the surface,
things seemed to continue as before, with important
exhibitions in major museums attracting large crowds.
But smaller galleries and the artists whose work was
shown by their resourceful proprietors fared less well,
and over the long term it is the work of young artists
that determines the course of art for the future.