Introduction

Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

The Museum of Modern Art, citing rising operational costs, has raised its adult admission price to $25 from $20. The new ticket price will make MoMA -- a private, nonprofit institution -- one of the most expensive museums in New York City, matching the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which in July raised its recommended price for adults to $25.

Grumbling over the rising cost of admission at MoMA is a New York tradition. But it remains one of the city's most popular sites, attracting a record 3.1 million visitors last year. And it is growing, with a deal in 2007 that will add 40,000 square feet of gallery space and a decision in May to buy the American Folk Art Museum building next door for $31 million.

If a museum wants to finance its artistic and institutional ambitions by inflating its admissions price, and enough people are willing to pay it, then what's wrong with that? Why should a museum be any different from a movie theater, for example (though, come to think of it, movie ticket prices have risen a lot more slowly)?