FREE FOR NOTHING
DEAR BABS: I am writing to you because I’m outraged at the $25 ticket price for the Jasper Johns show currently at the “free” Broad museum. That is not even close to free, and with the exclusive exhibition sponsor Louis Vuitton, why is the ticket price so high? The Broad is offering only four free evenings for the entire run of the show that you have to line up and hope to get in. Johns is such an important American artist whose work should be seen by everyone, not just people who can afford a $25 ticket.
—Lynda Burdick, Silver Lake, CA
Dear Lynda, Yes indeed, that was disappointing news to me when I learned the Jasper Johns exhibit had an entrance fee—and a hefty price at that. Even Johns, in a New York Times interview seemed nonplussed when revealed to him the Broad show would not be free:
“I don’t think I knew that,” Mr. Johns said, appearing perturbed. “I didn’t register that, because I was told that it was a free museum. I have always loved that idea.”
As told to reporter Deborah Solomon, the main reason Johns agreed to cooperate with the Broad on the exhibition was “the chance it represents to reach young viewers.”
Younger people are getting the art bug; perhaps a repercussion of the art explosion that has been building steadily since the ’80s. But if a couple wants to spend an afternoon looking at art, a price tag of $50 might be a deterrent.
To be fair, it’s not just the Broad that is charging high prices for these “special exhibitions.” LACMA tacks on extra to a show you might expect to be included in general admission. The Met now charges $25 to non-New Yorkers (thank you very much!).
I felt encouraged though to learn the Broad admits ages 17 and under for free—even to the special exhibits. That shows some consideration and an altruistic nod to educating the youth. If there was a Broad where I grew up, I’d be in that line, two or three times a week, and probably smoking a joint. To see Jasper Johns when I was 15, and high, would have surely changed my life. So making museums free to students is something I highly recommend and give great kudos to the museums that practice this.
As for the rest of us, how about a little bit of a break. Something more on the lines of the price of a movie ticket?
Babs cares. Please email questions to askbabs@artillerymag.com
I was also somewhat surprised by the price of admission. I paid to see a discussion of John’s work that included Chris Kraus among others. Already paying a hefty price for that talk, I realized when I got there, that I would also have to pay the $25 to see the exhibition that they were supposedly discussing. I thought it was rude. Kind of like paying $25 to see a comedian, and finding out there is a two-drink minimum that will set you back another $35.
Dear Jack, Thank you for your email. Maybe if we all keep talking about these over-priced exhibitions, something might happen. I, for one, will keep on it. And yes, Babs certainly agrees with the display of bad manners of the Broad, charging for the exhibition while attending a lecture on the very same exhibition. What were they thinking? No accounting for taste, as they say. I applaud you for taking advantage of the cultural experiences Los Angeles has to offer. I’m sorry it’s a hefty price.