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London Museums No Longer Free?

Art World

Mayor wants patrons to start paying up.

London's museums may be following in New York’s footsteps, instituting voluntary but suggested donations in place of the city’s traditionally free galleries. After a recent trip to New York City, Mayor of London Boris Johnson said he was impressed by the city’s pay-what-you-want system, saying, “It might be a good idea for people to price the value of their visit. I think it would work extremely well and I think we should do it.” The comments came as part of a panel discussion with actor Kevin Spacey, among others, on the precarious state of post-recession arts funding. Concerned at future generations’ support of museums, Johnson said, “arts and culture are not a luxury, they are part of this city’s DNA.”

Read it at Times Online

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