The question has arose from the New York Times: is the Metropolitan Museum of art in New York committing fraud?
Or, more to the point, the article goes on to say, two members of the museum think so. They suggest that the recommended $25 entrance fee is hardly recommended. Most visitors, in fact (85% of 360 asked), don’t know that the Met Museum has a “pay-what-you-wish” policy.
This and the Brooklyn Museum–both owned by New York City–are most like the European model where art museums publicly funded: the Tate Modern in London is free and has record attendance. Washington, DC, is a rare US exception where most museums there are free too.
At issue is language at the Met and the size of it: “Recommended” is listed in small type at the admission booths. In the past, I remember it being more prominently displayed, and since it has changed, I can only conclude a purposeful obfuscation to strongly imply that the way to enter the Met is to pay $25.
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