Guggenheim is raising admission prices by 20%

New York City is one of the world's top destinations for fine art, but it's about to get even more expensive to view all those masterful works. 

In a move in line with recent developments at fellow area art museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is set to raise ticket pricing for general admission from $25 to $30, the institution's first increase since 2015. Students and seniors will now pay $19 under the price hike. 

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The 20% increase puts the Guggenheim at the upper echelons of museum entry prices, not only in the city but nationwide. The Met, which cranked up its pricing for the first time in 11 years last July, now requires $30 tickets for adults (though New York residents and tri-state-area students can still purchase pay-what-you-wish admission). Ditto the Whitney, which boosted up to $30 for adults in its first price hike since 2016.

And outside of New York, other leading institutions have followed suit, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where entry costs $30, and the Art Institute of Chicago, where tickets are currently set at a whopping $32 for out-of-state visitors. 

“As we recover from the lingering financial strain caused by the pandemic, the museum needs to increase its admission prices, which have not been adjusted since 2015,” Sara Fox, a spokeswoman for the Guggenheim, told The New York Times. “The new rates align with those of the museum community in New York City and will help support the operational costs of the museum.”

That price boost is in direct response to dwindling attendance numbers across New York's major museums. According to the Art Newspaper, attendance numbers at the Guggenheim fell by 42% in a three-year period, from 1.3 million visitors in 2019 to 750,000 attendees in 2022. For comparison, the Met saw a 34% decrease, the Whitney 19% and the Met 10% in the same timeframe.