After Lawsuit, Metropolitan Museum of Art Clarifies Admissions Policies

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a famous New York landmark, is making its admissions policies clearer. This outcome is the endpoint of a 2013 lawsuit that alleged that signs at the museum misled guests.

The Met has always been and will remain free. This is due to terms laid out in the Met’s lease with the city that stipulate that the museum will not charge for admission. However, that doesn’t preclude anyone from making donations–the museum’s admissions policy is referred to as “pay what you wish.” Signs have traditionally stated that there are recommended admissions prices: “$25 for adults, $17 for seniors and $12 for students.”

The lawsuit was brought in 2013 by two visitors from the Czech Republic and one New York City resident. They claim that the language on those signs was misleading. The case was just settled, and now the language will be changed. The signs will now read “suggested admission” as opposed to “recommended admission” out of a hope that the slightly softer language will be clearer. Additionally, the signs will now include these sentences: “The amount you pay is up to you. Please be as generous as you can.” The language change will affect the website as well as the signs placed at admissions desks. The layout of the physical signs will also be edited for clarity–the words “suggested” and “admission” will be the same size.

Daniel Weiss, the president of the Met, explained:

For what the museum provides, a $25 fee is actually quite a bargain. But we don’t want the public to feel that they have to pay it. We want to strike a fair bargain with every visitor.

Chief executive Thomas P Campbell additionally stated:

All of our recent branding and marketing work has been aimed at simplifying our message of welcome to the public and emphasizing that we are accessible to the widest possible audience.

It’s highly unlikely that the clearer signs will make too much of a dent in the Met’s operating budget. As Gawker points out, the Met is very wealthy, and has an over $2.5 billion endowment. So, the change won’t really make a big different for the Met, but it certainly will be clearer for visitors to one of New York City’s top art museums.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.