Spain’s Prado museum is to offer free entry for two hours every day as part of changes coinciding with the inauguration of the gallery’s long-awaited new annex, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.King Juan Carlos and Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will formally unveil the new modernist extension designed by architect Rafael Moneo on Oct. 30 with the first show — “Modern Masters: The Prado’s 19th-Century Masters” opening the next day.

To help celebrate the event, entry to the Madrid museum will be free of charge between Oct. 31 and Nov. 4. After that, there will be no charge for people visiting the museum between 6-8 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and 5-8 p.m. on Sundays. The Prado is closed on Mondays.

Until now the museum has been free all day Sunday.

Read full article (International Herald Tribune, October 2, 2007)

The gamble of free admissions at Baltimore’s two largest art museums seems to be paying off.

Admissions are soaring, and both the Baltimore Museum of Art and The Walters Art Museum report that they are attracting a more diverse crowd than ever before.

Museum memberships have decreased, as was expected, but total donations are up. Make no mistake - challenges lie ahead. But the museum’s administrators are triumphantly declaring their bold free-for-all experiment a success.

“I come to the museum nearly every weekend and walk through the galleries,” says Doreen Bolger, the Baltimore Museum of Art’s director. “There’s a tangible difference, not just in our total numbers, but in the variety of our visitors, and in the way that people are relaxing on the benches and interacting with our artwork.”

Baltimore’s experiment reflects a continuing debate among American art museums. Most still charge admission fees. Some, such as the Indianapolis Museum of Art, joined other free museums this year. Others, such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, not only are keeping fees but are increasing them.

Read full article (Baltimore Sun, September 30, 2007)