About a hundred people are waiting patiently under the pouring rain for the Louvre Museum to open its doors this Wednesday, January 17. Neither the weather nor the increase in admission prices have deterred these art lovers from coming today, even though since January 15, one needs to spend €22 to get close to the Mona Lisa. That's five times more than the rate set up back in 2017 of €17 at the desk (and €15 online).
To justify this substantial increase (30%), the museum points to rising costs. In a press release published on December 8, 2023, it stated that it wanted to "support [a] major effort to open up [its] local audience," while maintaining "a satisfactory quality of service."
"The cost of admission is high, but the Louvre is such a special place that it's well worth it," commented Ieda Correia, a 46-year-old Brazilian tourist on vacation in Paris. Accompanied by her daughter (who gets in free) and a friend, she paid €44 to spend the morning at the museum. In front of an Egyptian stele, Franck Heim, a 51-year-old American from Versailles (Kentucky), relished his visit. "Twenty-two euros is a fair price. Everything can't be free. You have to pay the people who work here to allow these cultural venues to exist," he observed. A price he considers relatively affordable, compared to the last museum he visited, in Chicago, where he had to pay $50 (€46).
This pricing change does not apply to all visitor categories: Teachers, jobseekers, young people under 26, and cultural professionals are still entitled to free admission. An evening visit is also offered to the public free of charge on the first Friday of each month. In 2023, 40% of visitors entered the museum without spending 1 euro.
"This does not prevent a large number of age groups and professions, impacted by inflation, energy costs, etc., from not benefiting from this privilege," points out art historian Véronique Antoine-Andersen in a petition against the increase in admission prices that she has launched on Change.org.
Two students from the Ecole du Louvre stroll through the halls of the Italian painting aisle. Between two Botticelli, they too deplore the centuries-old museum's new pricing policy, even though their age entitles them to free admission. "It penalizes tourists and foreign visitors. We keep saying that culture should be accessible, but we're still raising prices. Even with inflation, I think it's excessive to charge 22 euros for admission. And with the Olympics just around the corner, the timing is a bit suspect," one of them remarked. James Connelly, an English teacher and member of the Friends of the Louvre, thinks this decision" The Louvre needs to remain affordable. For some people, the price can be a real deterrent."
You have 25% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.