Knížák: free entry brings new spectators, but also cultivates taste

Prague - The director of the National Gallery in Prague, Milan Knížák, is convinced that people should be able to visit the permanent exhibitions of this institution for free. He believes that free admission would completely change the public's approach to the gallery and that people would learn to visit more often. The director estimates that the increase in the number of visitors could be two hundred percent. Above all, he hopes that the opening of the exhibitions would cultivate public taste. So far, however, he faces resistance from the Ministry of Culture - according to him, waiving admission fees would require an additional ten million crowns to the current state subsidy, which amounts to around 210 million crowns.
    However, the ministry says that it cannot increase the budget for only one of its funded organizations, as that would be unfair to the others. It has a total of 33, two of which are galleries. Knížák considers this nonsensical and "socialist maneuvering." "Not all institutions need to operate under the same regime because some things may not suit everyone; other galleries have different visitor compositions or have not tested it," says the director. Moreover, other galleries do not require free admission; some might implement it but do not need an increase in their budget because their attendance is so low that the share of revenue from it does not significantly affect their budget. "The Moravian Gallery is also immediately ready to implement free admission, they are just keeping it a secret with us; they don't want to do it earlier because we were the first to come up with it," says the director.
    The situation where people visit the National Gallery for free has been tested by the institution during free admission days, during which it also tested the strain of an increased number of visitors. According to the director, a larger influx of people would not require any new security measures. He is considering free admission for permanent exhibitions; temporary exhibitions, which constitute about 20 percent of the NG program, will continue to be charged.
    The NG manages approximately 300 million crowns annually, of which the state subsidy is around 210 million. "We are partially able to replace ticket revenue with other sources; we just need ten million to maintain the same budget," he said. Ten million crowns is approximately five percent of the state subsidy and only three percent of the entire annual budget of the NG. "Within the cultural sector of the state budget, ten million is a very small amount. When I realize that it would mean a huge increase and cultivation of the audience, I think the financial costs are really ridiculous," Knížák stated.
    The idea of free admission came to him earlier, especially after the confrontation of the Trade Fair Palace with the new section of London's Tate Gallery; Tate Modern was created from an industrial building and is dedicated to presenting contemporary art. "In the exhibition, there are paid and unpaid shows. I saw how many people come there and that the space has become some sort of public platform," Knížák describes one of his sources of inspiration. For comparison, he notes that many other European galleries do not require an entrance fee - for example, the National Gallery in London, as well as the National Gallery in Hungary, he mentioned.
    Rather than a massive influx of visitors to NG's exhibitions, the director hopes that people will return and that they will become better acquainted with the collections, which are often unique on a world scale. "We want people to visit us repeatedly; one should live with art and make it a part of their life," says the director.
    He believes that more teenagers would visit, who today do not want to spend money on gallery visits, as well as older people. "Elderly people influence their grandchildren the most; cultural awareness is not created by parents who do not have time for them but by grandparents. If we allow people to come to us for free, of course, these people will also come and repeat their visits," he said. If people do not spend on admission, they may not hesitate to buy a catalog or purchase tickets for accompanying programs; they might also visit the gallery's restaurant - all of this brings the exhibition institution closer to visitors, according to the director, making it more a part of their lives.
    Conversely, admission fees, although the director claims they are "at a minimum," act as a deterrent, especially if more people from the same family come at once. The NG is currently adjusting its admission prices. It is primarily introducing a discount after 4 PM (the exhibitions are open until 6 PM); tickets will no longer need to be purchased per individual floor at the Trade Fair Palace.
    Just like in the case of other state-funded organizations, the National Gallery in Prague is considering a potential change in its status - which, according to the leadership of some organizations, is inflexible and does not allow, for example, an increase in the share of non-state contributions beyond a certain threshold. Knížák, along with several other directors of similar institutions, initiated the preparation of a law for national cultural institutions several years ago that would guarantee these organizations a financing system similar to that of universities. It was supported by the Ministry of Culture, but not by the Ministry of Finance, and it never reached parliament. Approximately a year and a half ago, the authors of this idea revived it, but progress in its implementation has not yet been made.