PHILADELPHIA, PA.- Effective July 1, 2012, general admission to the Philadelphia Museum of Art will increase from $16 to $20 and will now be offered as a two-day ticket, enabling visitors to return the next day of operation to take full advantage of all of the Museum’s facilities, including the Main building and Anne d’Harnoncourt Sculpture Garden, the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building, and the newly restored Rodin Museum, which will reopen to the public on July 13, 2012.

Additionally, complimentary shuttle transportation will now be available for the first time between all three buildings during operating hours for visitors’ convenience. The Museum’s popular Pay-What-You-Wish admission policy on the first Sunday of each month will remain in place. Furthermore, beginning in the fall, the Museum will expand the hours it is open to the public to include Wednesday evenings from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Admission on Wednesday evenings, like first Sundays, will be Pay-What-You-Wish. Membership prices will also remain unchanged, offering members free, unlimited general admission for one year.

The Museum’s decision to increase general admission prices reflects the importance of earned income in sustaining the Museum’s mission, caring for its world-renowned collections, and maintaining its internationally recognized special exhibitions, public programs, and educational activities.

"As our campus has grown, and as we have expanded our exhibitions, programs, and services to the community, a two-day ticket becomes an attractive way for visitors to enjoy more of what the Museum has to offer," said Timothy Rub, the Museum’s George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer. “While we have decided to increase our general admission fee, which we believe is in line with prices charged by peer institutions across the country, we have also broadened our commitment to ensuring that the Museum remains accessible to a wide public, and that is why we will be expanding access and hours on Wednesday evenings starting in the fall with a Pay-What-You-Wish admission policy from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m.”

Since 2007, when the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building opened, the Museum has experienced steady growth, adding in 2009 a 440-car parking garage that is graced with a rooftop sculpture garden overlooking the Schuylkill River. The Rodin Museum, which is administered by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, has also undergone a comprehensive restoration and reinstallation of its collection. It will open once again to the public on July 13.

The new general admissions pricing structure:

• Adult admission: $20 (previously $16), a two-consecutive-day ticket
• All students with I.D. and youth 13-18: $14 (previously $12) Seniors: $18 (previously $14)
• Admission is free for children 12 and under
• Admission is free for Museum members
• General admission includes admission to the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building. Admission to the Perelman Building only is $10 (previously $8)
• Pay-What-You-Wish, first Sunday each month
• Pay-What-You-Wish to expand to include every Wednesday, 5:00-9:00 p.m. (beginning in fall 2012)
• Admission to the Rodin Museum will remain Pay-What-You-Wish (suggested admission $8) at all times.