NY's Metropolitan Museum of Art to charge entry fee for first time in 50 years

For the first time in 50 years, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art is to start charging visitors for admission.

From March 2018, people who don't live in the state will have to pay $25 (£18) to view its collection, while locals will need to show a proof of address if they want entry under the current "pay-as-you-wish" policy.

The move ends an open-for-all policy that has meant anyone can visit the 5,000 years of artworks for free, and has angered critics who believe it could restrict the enjoyment of art only to those who can afford a hefty entry tag.

Since the 1970s, visitors have been encouraged to make a $25 donation on entry to the Met, but it's thought only around 17% of people paid that amount last year.

Announcing the decision, Daniel Weiss, president and chief executive of the world's second most popular museum after the Louvre, said he believed the move would bring in $6m-$11m a year, contributing to an operating budget of $305m and helping to plug a shortfall of $10m.

"As we studied how best to update our policy, we were mindful that the museum was founded in the 19th century primarily as an educational entity intended to teach and uplift the diverse populations of New York City," he said.

"What is clear is that our current pay-as-you-wish policy is no longer sufficient to meet the museum's daily operational demands."

In the UK, entry charges for the majority of museums were dropped under a Labour party policy in 2001, and entry to permanent collections has remained free since - although in recent years cuts to government funding have prompted some museums to reconsider whether they charge visitors to view their collections.

Sharon Heal, director of the Museums Association in the UK, stressed the body supported free access to museums across the UK.

"Although there is a mixed ecology of charging and free admissions amongst museums in the UK we support the principle of free access to our national collections," she told Sky News.

"The suggested price increase at the Met will make admission prohibitive for many communities and I would hope that the Met will do all it can to ensure that discounts and outreach programmes will help those that would otherwise lose out to engage with its treasures."

For New Yorkers, the decision to impose mandatory charges has also reactivated an old debate over art and culture as a common resource.

When the museum was created in the 1870s it was bound by a law requiring it to be almost totally free: 100 years later, city officials only agreed to fees on the condition that they could be decided by the visitor.

Since, the Met has faced lawsuits arguing that signs showing a $25 recommended price could trick people into paying more than they want.

At the museum on Friday Francesca Betocchi, an lawyer visiting from Italy, said $25 was "absolutely too much" to charge for entry.

"We think art education should be a free, open door for everybody, not only for those who have more money," added her cousin, 51-year-old accountant Paola Borri, who said the pair chose to pay $15 each.

The average donation for a trip to the museum is currently $9, and it's believed the fee charge will affect about 30% of the Met's visitors. Entry will remain free for children under 12.