Incentivising culture by bringing art at low cost prices: is it constructive or does it diminish an elite service?
Oscar Wilde said “Art is the most intense manifestation of individualism that the world knows”, and in an era in which homologation and loss of identity seem to want to prevail, it is easy to imagine why art is suffering Very. There are those who wonder if paying for a ticket is a tribute to the artist’s work or a deal on the part of the institutions, the doubt remains. Just in these days the Italian political scenario is also debating on this point, to discuss it are Vittorio Sgarbi and Gennaro Sangiuliano, respectively the minister of Culture and the undersecretary of the same dicastery. In fact, the art critic declared that according to him “museums must be for citizens like libraries, the question must not be an expensive one, but a democratic one“. The Minister, on the other hand, replies by declaring that in Italy we are already very generous from this point of view as the ticket is paid, but little and young people still have concessions. However, it must be said that the reductions vary from museum to museum and that sometimes the reduced ticket differs by only a few euros from the full ticket, at least as regards the exhibitions and some of the most important buildings.
The legislation on museums
The situation changes for state museums, in which case, in fact, for young people up to and including 25 years of age, there is a 50% reduction on the entrance fee, a measure introduced twenty-two years ago, with ministerial decree 507 of 11 December 1997. Furthermore, from 28 February 2019 the price drops further and for citizens of the European Union aged between 18 and 25 the entrance now costs only 2.00 euros, an example is that of the Uffizi, one of the flagships of the Italian heritage. In the capital, however, on the first Sunday of the month, the Civic Museums are free for all age groups, by reservation.
European and American museums, between free admission and increased prices
We also find reduced tickets in other parts of Europe such as, for example, in Paris where museums are free for all under 26s to encourage culture among young people. However, these seem to remain exceptions also because inflation on cultural heritage is an increasingly topical issue. Clearly it is not easy to administer a museum, the expenses are high and largely destined for the conservation sector, think of the case of the Metropolitan Museum of art in New York which until 2018 was based on the “pay-what-you-wish” policy ” while now you pay 30 dollars to enter. The increases also concern Italy in Venice, in fact, from 1 September the access ticket to the Doge’s Palace costs €30, but Barcelona would beat Venice with its €35 ticket for Gaudì’s Casa Batlò. Followed by the unsuspected Churchill’s War Rooms for €31.24 in Westminster, a town in London’s West End. As far as London is concerned, however, the British Museum, one of the most popular, would instead remain faithful to its origins, simply for free.
Istat, 70% of young people have not even visited a museum during the year
According to Istat data, beyond the price, at least in Italy it would seem that young people do not go to museums, not so much for the cost of the ticket, but for lack of interest: the percentage of young people who have never visited a museum during the year amounts about around 70%. So the important thing would be to restore love for culture and for beauty by any means, we should work on communication rather than on prices, a complex job that should move away from the mere transfer of information between those who know and those who learn, a doctrine that lead to the construction of training models based on shared practices to trigger an exchange.
Indifference and boredom can also occur among the over 26s, paradoxically it is easier to bring a young person closer to art than an adult who has never entered a museum. It is through language, narration, literature and today, why not, even technology, that a young person could be passionate about art, after all art is culture, beauty and spirituality.
The new problems between pandemic and vandalism
Unfortunately, another truth is that museums in general are in full crisis especially after the pandemic, without thinking that lately, “the museum comes to your home” and direct experience is weakened and leaves room for online simulations. What we should ask ourselves is why some young people no longer have the pleasure of going to the museum.
Then, there are those who lately even go there to smear the works in the name of a fake revolutionary act that perhaps has more of the purpose of getting noticed than to be remembered for having actually changed something. In fact, it may be for this reason that sometimes the dispute is set aside immediately after the deed and, once you have left the building, the evening ends with pizza, beer and a race for social likes which remains for some the only satisfying “experience”. certainly more than a good film or a beautiful picture.
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