The Guggenheim is one of our fav spots to hit when strolling through Upper East Side, but they’re now following suit with some of the city’s other museums and galleries and raising their admission price.
According to the NY Times, the admission price hike stems from a decline in museum membership. While membership was once a dependable source of income, it’s actually fallen by nearly 16% in the last four years, with June attendance declining by 26%–from 89,600 to 65,900–over the same time period.
And while attendance decreases, the cost of running the institution increases, whether that be heating the museum or shipping artworks.
With the rise of admission fees an adult ticket to the Guggenheim will now cost $30 rather than the previous $25.
Though the Guggenheim isn’t the only one raising their prices. In fact, a $30 admission price is actually becoming the new norm for major museums.
According to the Times, the Metropolitan Museum of Art had already raised their adult admission price to $30 last July, followed by others including the Whitney Museum of American Art.
And the admission price increase isn’t unique to New York–out-of-state museums are also following suit, such as the Art Institute of Chicago which now has one of the most expensive tickets (for out-of-state visitors) at $32.
“As we recover from the lingering financial strain caused by the pandemic, the museum needs to increase its admission prices, which have not been adjusted since 2015,” said Sara Fox, a spokeswoman for the Guggenheim, as reported by the Times. “The new rates align with those of the museum community in New York City and will help support the operational costs of the museum.”
The Guggenheim will maintain their pay-what-you-wish policy for everyone on Saturdays, and will actually expand it by one hour, from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
With the admission price increase we’re curious as to whether or not the museum will join the number of NYC museums that offer free admission days.
In the meantime, those interested in visiting the Guggenheim can grab tickets here.