Why It Now Costs $25 to Get Into MoMA

The Museum of Modern Art, citing rising operational costs, has raised its adult admission price to $25 from $20. The new ticket price will make MoMA—a private, nonprofit institution—one of the most expensive museums in New York City, matching the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which in July raised its recommended price for adults to $25.

Grumbling over the rising cost of admission at MoMA is a New York tradition. But it remains one of the city's most popular sites, attracting a record 3.1 million visitors last year. And it is growing, with a deal in 2007 that will add 40,000 square feet of gallery space and a decision in May to buy the American Folk Art Museum building next door for $31 million.

If a museum wants to finance its artistic and institutional ambitions by inflating its admissions price, and enough people are willing to pay it, then what's wrong with that? Why should a museum be any different from a movie theater, for example (though, come to think of it, movie ticket prices have risen a lot more slowly)?