Renaissance Italy Invested Heavily in Art and Culture Because

Renaissance Italy invested heavily in art and culture because:

A) Italy was more prosperous in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries than it had been earlier and so had more money to spend.
B) cities and their rulers competed with each other in constructing public monuments and patronizing artists and authors.
C) Italy was in an economic depression, so there was nothing else to spend money on except for art.
D) Italy was trying to compete with France, which had a long tradition of supporting artists and authors.
E) Italian merchants realized the potential for great returns on their investment in painting and sculpture.