In news which is hardly likely to please the nation’s art enthusiasts, but should at least satiate the peoples’ hungry bellies, Culture Secretary Karen Bradley announced this lunchtime that Britain’s top museums will henceforth shut at weekends, while during the week they will sell more sandwiches.
Most of Britain’s more than 2,500 museums rely on local authority funding, self-generated income, or sponsorship. In 2015, half saw their income drop. York Art Gallery and Brighton Museums were among those who responded by introducing entry fees, and by end of 2016, one-fifth of all museums were expected to charge for admission.
But some of the biggest institutions in Britain – like the British Museum, Science Museum, National Gallery, Tate, and V&A – are funded directly by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport. So far they have managed to resist the pressure to do away with the policy of free entry.
Yet even in a post-Osborne climate, the economics of running museums are perilous. And as she picked daintily from a sterling platter, outlining the new sandwich selections which will soon be available to members of the public, Bradley noted that ‘In times of struggle, bread must come before beauty’.
So while free admission will remain, the likes of the British Museum and the Tate will be forced to shut at weekends. These are traditionally the most popular times for visitors, who on weekdays often have to bother with the twin inconveniences of school or work. With few locals around to visit the museums in question, they will be able to undertake significant staff restructuring.
And to make a better stab at generating some income of their own, the museums are prepared to really push their sandwiches. Pensioners, a mainstay of the museum week, are being targeted with package deals offering, for a fixed and reasonable price, a sandwich followed by a guided tour. At the National Gallery they will advertise ‘Bacon Butties and a Titian’, while ‘Egg and Cress and The Elgin Marbles’ will be generously fed and displayed by the British Museum.
Infants accompanied by their parents can expect to grasp something about science while enjoying cheese and ham with no crusts. And for those on a quick break or taking a working lunch, sandwiches will increase in price but contain more filling, and can be enjoyed while gazing obliquely through foyers at the distant artworks beyond. Video cameras will supervise at all times in case of buttery fingers.
