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A charge on the National cuLture

THE British Museum may have to introduce admission (1) ……………………. for its six million visitors a year because of reductions in its government grant. The 237-year-old museum - which (2) ……………………… the Elgin marbles, a magnificent collection of Greco-Roman antiquities, Egyptian sculpture and (3)…………………………. art - is one of the few great British institutions to have so far escaped financial purges.

But a report, commissioned by Graham Green, chairman of the museum's (4)………………….., suggests that entry charges should be introduced to make up for the shortfall created by a million pound cut in grant. This would fly in the face of (5)……………….. made by Dr Robert Anderson, the museum's director that he would never ask visitors to pay. Dr Robert Anderson does not (6)…………………….. the introduction of admission charges. He compares museums to great ref­erence libraries, "surpassing by far subordinate roles such as that of tourist attraction, her­itage experience or entertain­ment centre. Charging changes the relationship between the museum and its public, encour­aging these latter roles over the former».

Most of those in the museum world share the dis­taste. Charges, they say, change the ethos: they make the experience more commer­cial, (7)……………………. against the brief visit, discourage repeat visits. As the National Art Collec­tions Fund sees it, "a full day in a museum to 'get your money's worth' is enough to kill off any desire to return — especially for children".

Sir Denis Mahon, leading British art (8)………………………….. earlier this year withdrew a bequest from the Walker Gallery, Liverpool, when it announced charges: "As a collec­tor with something to offer, I am much in favour of a genuine partnership between the private sector and the state, but find it deeply distasteful that the pub­lic should be held to ransom for (9)……………………….. to its own property."

The directors of the leading British Museums share the claim that “free admission is the cornerstone of democratic access to our cultural inheritance”. They are convinced that there are useful tools both to keep museums free from admission charges and to provide (10)……………………….. with sufficient means to run their art institution.

Membership subscriptions and donations made through the British Museum Friends support the (11)…………………………… of important objects to complement the Museum’s complex and unique collection, as well as growing holdings of (12)…………………… objects held for the benefit of future generations. Members also contribute to the Museum’s active research programme, designed to deepen knowledge and promote understanding of the collection. Since its earliest days the Museum has relied on the generosity of donors and supporters – a public lottery was held (13) …………………… the £20,000 needed to purchase Hans Sloane’s initial collection for the nation.

Charles M. Weisenberg, former public relation director of the Los Angeles Public Library claims that museum admission fees are clearly most hurtful to those least able to afford them. “Think of how the public and the politicians would explode if just the downtown public library were (14)…………………….. an admission fee. It is about time we made visiting an art museum as easy as visiting a library.”