London Museums No Longer Free?

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.”