Today the Museum of Modern Art is announcing that it is raising its admission charges to $25 — not “suggested,” as at the Metropolitan Museum, but mandatory.
That’s steep, as anyone would acknowledge. The rule-of-thumb comparison used to be with movie tickets, but not any more.
From the release:
The new prices are $25 for adults, $18 for senior citizens 65 and older, and $14 for students, with children 16 and under remaining free. Tickets ordered online at MoMA.org will be available at a reduced price of $22.50 for adults, $16 for senior citizens, and $12 for students, with no service charges.
The change is effective Sept. 1. MoMA said it last raised its fee in 2004, and since then has faced cost increases virtually across the board. With attendance in its last fiscal year of about 2,8 million, MoMA isn’t lacking for visitors. But at some point, you have to wonder what price will discourage visitors.
Like the Met, MoMA is raising prices more than the inflation rate, if you use 1998 — when I wrote an article about museum pricing for The New York Times — as a guide. The admission price then would be about $16 in today’s dollars.
UPDATE: Meanwhile, with a $20 million gift from WalMart, Crystal Bridges will be free.